Livery Design: MATS Performance - (J.P. Malcher) BMW M3
Rebuilding a forgotten BMW M3 livery from blurred footage recorded over thirty years ago
For MATS Performance, IMAGO recreated the J.P. Malcher BMW M3 as a true one-to-one reproduction of the original competition car. With no design files, clear photographs or complete sponsor overview available, the reconstruction was built almost entirely from blurred video footage dating back to the early 1990s.
Every shape, colour transition and sponsor logo had to be identified, researched and manually rebuilt. Some elements were only visible for a few frames or from difficult angles, making the process a combination of careful observation, extensive research and repeated trial and error.
Bringing a piece of history back to life
IMAGO does not normally reproduce existing liveries. An exception is made when the project offers a genuine creative and technical challenge. This reconstruction demanded enough research, precision and problem-solving to become more than a copy: it brought a largely forgotten piece of motorsport history back to life. It is a result we are particularly proud of.
(Photos: TheronMedia & Mats Performance)
Reconstructed across an asymmetric design
The original livery was different on both sides of the car and continued asymmetrically across the bonnet, roof and boot. This meant each side had to be studied separately, while still understanding how the graphics connected across the full bodywork. The available footage was compared frame by frame to rebuild these transitions as accurately as possible.
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