Michael SatterfieldWhen a McLaren Artura GT4 streaks down the straight at Sonoma Raceway this spring, it won’t just be vying for position—it will be declaring a cultural revolution. This machine, draped in glitter, zebra print, and Cubist geometry, is the physical embodiment of Driven Artists Racing Team—or DART Car—a groundbreaking initiative at the crossroads of motorsport and fine art, founded by Zoë Barry, Spring McManus, and Aurora Straus.
More than just a new entrant into the fiercely competitive world of GT racing, DART Car is a high-speed manifesto, challenging the conventions of both the track and the gallery. Their mission? Simple in vision, radical in execution: elevate women’s voices in spaces where they’ve historically been underrepresented and undervalued—motorsport and contemporary art.
DART Car: The Art of Acceleration
The DART Car project is anchored by a bold collaboration with acclaimed artist Mickalene Thomas. Known for her opulent, rhinestone-encrusted portraits of Black women and her unapologetically feminist visual vocabulary, Thomas transformed the team’s McLaren into a rolling artwork. It’s the first time she’s brought her distinctive vision to the world of motorsport, and the result is mesmerizing. The livery—part kaleidoscope, part protest, part invitation—is unlike anything else on the grid. Think Kandinsky by way of Basquiat, only with more horsepower.
But the artistry doesn’t stop at the sheet metal. Thomas also designed bespoke driving suits and hand-painted helmets for Barry and Straus. It’s a holistic aesthetic, one that turns every corner of the DART Car experience into a platform for visual storytelling. This is a BMW Art Car for the 21st century, not commissioned by a corporate boardroom but dreamed up by women who have earned their stripes.
Engines and Ambitions
Behind the wheel are co-founders who are no strangers to high performance. Aurora Straus, a Harvard-educated racer and the first woman to win in Radical Cup North America, brings years of podium experience and a longstanding commitment to women in racing through her “Girls With Drive” initiative. She’s joined by Zoë Barry, a tech entrepreneur whose venture-backed success has fueled her racing ambitions. Barry’s climb from Porsche Sprint Challenge rookie to GT4 contender is a testament to her tenacity—and her belief in the transformational power of sport.
Spring McManus, an art world insider with roots at Christie’s and a deep collector network, serves as the bridge between gallery and garage. Together, these women are building something more than a team. They’re constructing an ecosystem—one where female excellence is the rule, not the exception.
A New Kind of Sponsorship
DART Car isn’t just betting on speed. It’s betting on the cultural capital of inclusion. Their sponsor roster reflects that ethos: Commence Haircare, a brand founded by actress and advocate Brooke Shields; motorsports stalwarts like Sabelt North America; and innovative partners such as P1 Motor Club and CART Department. It’s a mix that suggests the team is cultivating not just racing fans, but an audience who appreciates both performance and purpose.
Long-term, DART Car aims to commission new livery artwork annually from leading female artists, making each race season not just a competition, but a curated exhibit of moving masterpieces. The team will close out its 2025 season in the Middle East, aiming to become the first all-female-led entrant in the 24H Series in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Driving Toward a Cultural Shift
Statistically, the landscape is bleak. Women make up only 4% of drivers in elite motorsports—a modest jump from 1.5% just a few years ago. In the global art market, works by female artists account for just 3.3% of auction sales. These aren’t just numbers—they’re narratives. And DART Car is hell-bent on rewriting them.
In doing so, they’re reframing what a motorsport team can be. No longer just a pit crew and a few sponsors slapped on a hood, DART Car is a curated, mission-driven brand—something closer to a cultural movement than a sports franchise. It’s racing with a purpose, wrapped in an aesthetic that dares to ask: What if beauty and bravery weren’t mutually exclusive?
The Fast Lane as a Gallery Wall
The juxtaposition is striking. Speed and spectacle. Grit and glitter. The roar of an engine and the intimacy of brushstrokes. With Mickalene Thomas’ shimmering portrait charging down the track, DART Car isn’t just breaking the sound barrier—it’s breaking barriers of representation, imagination, and inclusion.
What we’re witnessing is more than a debut season. It’s a pole position in a broader race for equity, visibility, and creative reinvention. In a world often defined by separation—of disciplines, of identities, of who belongs where—DART Car merges art and sport with such velocity, it feels less like a fusion and more like an inevitability.
And perhaps that’s the ultimate message of DART Car: Not just that women belong, but that they are indispensable to the future of motorsport and the stories we tell on and off the track.
