Livery for BMW V12 LM98 Restoration
// This is a direct reupload of the post I made for Instagram and Facebook
I’m proud to share that I had the honor of contributing the graphic work for the livery of the BMW V12 LM98 chassis #001, recently brought back to life by @jmbclassic 🙏
What makes this project truly special to me is the personal connection I have with the car. It was a fixture of my childhood, mostly because it was my brother’s favorite car in Infogrames’ Le Mans 98 video game, IT was his weapon against me (see last image, authentic screenshot from 2002 !)
Years later, I recreated this car in 3D, as you can see on my profile (along with a write-up on its full history). That initial 3D work became the very reason I was approached for this project. The person in charge of restoring the livery came across my model and thought a collaboration could be great and so it began.
What’s striking about the BMW is its near-total disappearance for 25 years. It’s one of the very few major manufacturer racecar to have almost vanished from public view. The only comparable case I can think of is the Porsche 9R3 LMP2000, which never even raced, or the Porsche LMP1/98, which was gone for "only" 15 years. Outside of the Dome-BMW, I’ve only been able to trace two occasions where the LM98 was publicly seen after its racing days, and both time, very few photos were taken.
That absence explains why no one attempted to recreate it for over 20 years. The documentation is incredibly scarce. I had to rely almost entirely on period trackside photos, which rarely offer clean or complete views of the car.
I ended up spending a considerable amount of time scouring the internet for reference. A fun anecdote: I discovered that the UUNET “logo” on the rear wing sideplate wasn’t actually a logo, but a cropped screenshot of a software start menu, found thank to the Wayback Machine on a webpage from 1999.
This project was as much an investigation as it was a recreation. It’s been an incredibly rewarding journey, and I’m grateful I got to play a part in bringing this ghost of Le Mans back into the light.
I still don't know what feel the more surreal: seeing my work on the car or seeing the car through HD photo
Chassis #001 racing history:
Essais Pré-Qualificatifs 24h Du Mans 98: 20th
24h Du mans 98: DNF
12h of Sebring Test: 8th
12h of Sebring Race: DNF
Essais Préqualificatifs 24 Heures du Mans 99: 18th
24 Heures du Mans 99: 5th
ALMS 99 Sears Point GP: 7th
ALMS 99 Portland GP: 5th
SportsRacing World Cup NĂĽrburgring 99: 4th.
6 ore di Vellelunga 99: DNF
Essais des 24 Heures du Mans 2000: 17th
24 Heures du Mans 2000: DNF
Sportracing World Cup NĂĽrburgring 2000: DNF
Dix Milles Tours du Castellet 2019: Did Not Arrive
đź“· @ndelpierrephoto @jmbclassic
