The striking monochrome work won the popular vote among six artists’ submissions presented by Lexus Spain on its customer website. The art car will shortly make its debut at an exclusive media event, hosted by Lexus Spain.

The images of the car were created in the courtyard of Club Alma in Madrid and capture the exceptional detail in the piece. Clap Studio – artists Jordi Iranzo and Angela Montagud – completed their work within a month, inspired by the UX’s key qualities of technology, design, innovation and detail.

At a time when need for the world to pause and contemplate is all the more valuable, Clap Studio sought to express a world where people and nature can coexist in perfect harmony. “Our concept is a Zen garden that represents a state of mind: calm, pure consciousness,” they explained.

The traditional Japanese garden brings together the free and arbitrary character of nature, which will always find ways to grow, with precise and magical qualities perfected by the human hand: symmetry, technology and innovation.

“In our Zen garden, Lexus represents perfect harmony, it is the union of nature, technology and innovation. A man’s creation of geometric lines and impeccable symmetry covered in plant life,” said Iranzo.

“We have used paper, a significant element in Japanese culture, covering the car’s exterior in a form of Lexus vegetation, giving it volume,” Montagud continued. “Light is another essential quality in Japanese art and design and here it transforms the Lexus UX into a living thing. Depending on the position, tone and intensity of the light, it generates changing textures and colours throughout the day.”

The competition also featured entries from artists based in Bilbao, Madrid, Seville, Murcia and Barcelona. All the submissions can be viewed online at https://www.lexusauto.es/estilolexus/lexusuxartcar/.

ART AS AN INSPIRATION

Lexus UX Art Car is a Lexus Spain project design to join the brand with original art through national competition, and international exposure for the winner.

In the first edition the winners were Antoñito and Manolín with their creation Gyorin Kozane (Scale Armour), presented at the 2019 Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille.

The Emil Frey Lexus Racing team will make its debut at the Total 24 Hours of Spa on July 28-29, fielding two Lexus RC F GT3’s in the 70th edition of the iconic endurance race.

Entry in the race comes off the back of strong results for Emil Frey Lexus Racing in its first full season of the premier Blancpain GT Series, including a spectacular victory in round five of the championship at Circuit Paul Ricard in France.

It also follows a positive recent test session at the Spa Francorchamps circuit - home of the Total 24 Hours of Spa - where the outfit tested various set-ups and settings in both wet and dry conditions.

Emil Frey Lexus Racing also referenced data from its successful outing at Spa Francorchamps last year, when the team secured the first pole position for the RC F GT3 worldwide and went on to secure a dominant win during a round of the International GT Open series.

Team principal Lorenz Frey said the team's confidence was boosted by the recent test and knowledge that the RC F GT3 performed adeptly on the challenging, seven-kilometre Spa layout. "Taking into consideration the track of Spa suits our Lexus RC F GT3 very well with its fast corners, we should see a good performance," he said. "Spa is one of the toughest GT3 races taking place on probably the most spectacular race track there is and everyone in the team is really excited for our first 24 hours race with the Lexus.

A highly experienced line-up of drivers, including Monegasque Stéphane Ortelli - a former winner of the 24 Hours of Spa and 24 Hours of Le Mans - will pilot the two Emil Frey Lexus Racing RC F GT3s in the race.

LFA ART CAR

To mark this premiere and the 10^th anniversary of the Lexus’ ‘F’ performance brand, Lexus Europe will reveal a unique LFA Art Car at the Spa racing weekend. Designed by Portuguese artist Pedro Henriques, the livery of this one-off vehicle merges the instantly recognizable lines of the most iconic Lexus supercar, the LFA, with an organic pattern expressing the feeling of movement and constant evolution.

“My inspiration for this livery was the idea of fluidity present in the contemporary life, where things are in constant movement and it’s hard to freeze anything, Pedro explains. The lines in the drawings follow this feeling of going everywhere and never stopping; a progressive life. I wanted to reach an organic feeling by using handmade material and liquid lines in the elements spread through the car. By doing this I hope to express a feeling where the car becomes a less defined shape, in constant mutation in its movement.”

Lexus cultivates a passion for art and design, as showcased every year by the brand’s exhibits at the Milan Design Week. This summer, Lexus also opened a pop-up UX Art Space in Lisbon, featuring works by several artists including Pedro Henriques.

The LFA Art Car will join the on-track parade on Saturday July 28 before the start of the 24 hours race.

TIMETABLE TOTAL 24 HOURS OF SPA

Thursday, July 26, 2018

• 11:45 - 13:15 Free Practice 1
• 18:10 - 19:10 Pre-Qualifying
• 20:50 - 21 .05 Qualifying Q1
• 21:12 - 21:27 Qualifying Q2
• 21:34 - 21:49 Qualifying Q3
• 21:56 - 22:11 Qualifying Q4
• 22:30 - 00:00 Night Practice

Friday, July 27, 2018

• 17:45 - 18:15 Warm Up
• 18:30 - 19:00 Super Pole

Saturday, July 28, 2018

• 16:30 - Total 24 Hours of Spa

All sessions will be broadcast live via: www.blancpain-gt-series.com/watch-live