It turns out Daniel Arsham’s Porsche designs aren’t just meant for display.
Race car driver Arthur Mathieu is set to drive an eroded 911 GT3 Cup during this year’s Porsche Carrera Cup France. No, Mathieu’s team didn’t equip one of Arsham’s sculptures with a working drivetrain; instead, it has wrapped the car in a striking livery inspired by one of the artworks.
As is so often the case these days, the news was revealed in an Instagram post shared by both the artist and driver on Thursday. Mathieu will drive the no. 53 car during the latest installment of the long-running one-make racing series. At first glance, the 911 GT3 Cup Eroded 3023 looks just like an all-white version of the racer, but a closer inspection reveals ice-blue erosion marks on its front fascia, hood, roof, side panels, and fenders. The flourishes may be two-dimensional, but because of them, the car looks just like one Arsham’s sculptures. The logo of the artist’s studio can also be found on the front splitter and engine cover.
As striking as the livery may be, don’t let it distract you from Porsche’s high-performance customer race car. The track-only version of the 992-generation GT3 was introduced in late 2020 and is powered by a naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six boxer engine. The potent mill comes mated to a six-speed sequential transmission that sends power to the rear wheels and can generate 496 horses, 347 ft lbs of twist, and redline at 8,750 rpm. You can expect to see Mathieu hit speeds of 186 mph in the car while battling it out with the rest of the field during the six-race season.
Of course, if you just want to see some of Arsham’s sculptures standing still, you’re in luck. An exhibit of the artist called Arsham Auto Motive work opened at the Petersen Automotive Museum in February. Tickets for the show, which runs through late November, are available now for $20.
Click here for more photos of the Daniel Arsham Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.
