A man has died after unloading the historic Andy Warhol-painted BMW car onto the National Mall on Wednesday evening, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
Officials said a winch holding the vehicle gave way as the man unloaded what appeared to be the BMW M1 Procar from a flatbed truck, pinning the man down and later killing him at the scene.
The car, hand-painted by the American pop artist, was recently placed into the National History Vehicle Registry. According to a description provided by the Hirshhorn Museum, it was released in 1979 as BMW's 4th vehicle in the Art Car series.
Andy Warhol made his mark on this M1 factory race car in 1979 as the 4th BMW in the company’s Art Car series launched in 1975. BMW’s newly released flagship performance model, the M1, raced in Le Mans, where it took a second in class finish, and a sixth-place finish overall with Warhol’s hand laid brushstrokes adorning the angular Giorgetto Giugiaro designed body.
Main Image: Andyw Warhol BMW Car