We're just days away from the start of the 2012 Olympic Games in London, and in the ramp-up, BMW has left no stone unturned in promoting its status as the event's official automotive partner. The BMW Group has rolled out numerous special editions, donated fleets of cars, opened a brand-spanking-new pavilion, and even reclothed its Mini Rocketman concept in the colors of the Union Jack, all for the London games... but this latest initiative and embodiment of the Bavarian automaker's Olympic spirit has got to be our favorite of them all.

For the first time in the history of the project, BMW has brought an extensive array from its Art Car collection to the UK, where it is displaying free of charge from now through August 4 in the Shoreditch car park. For the uninitiated, the BMW Art Car program started 35 years ago and has since then commissioned some of the world's most celebrated pop artists to paint BMW's cars in their own vision. Among those that have participated have been Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Frank Stella, Alexander Calder and, most recently, Jeff Koons. The latter's M3 GT2 was displayed next to London's iconic Tower Bridge earlier this month.

If you're not heading to the British capital for the games, you can still check out the cars on location in our image gallery and video clip to see what they're all about from the convenience of your smartphone, tablet or computer screen.