Entrepreneur Zoë Barry, art advisor Spring McManus, and award-winning professional racecar driver Aurora Straus have announced the launch of their new initiative, Driven Artists Racing Team (DART Car), a female-led, mission-driven professional motorsports team, to elevate the achievements of women in the traditionally male-dominated fields of motorcars and fine art. Debuting in North America this spring with a McLaren Artura GT4 racecar, DART Car launched with an inaugural commission by acclaimed contemporary artist Mickalene Thomas, who has created a custom wrap for the racecar as well bespoke driving suits and hand-painted helmets for Straus and Barry, who makes her professional debut this season. The DART Car racecar was officially unveiled at the Classic Car Club Manhattan on Tuesday, February 18. DART Car’s first race of the 2024 season was the SRO GT4 America at Sonoma Raceway in March and the team plans to finish the year in January 2026 at the 24H SeriesMiddle East Trophy in Dubai and Abu Dhabi as the first all-female-led team in the series. Female athletes account for only 4% of drivers in the top categories of motorsport, which until recently was a mere 1.5%.
Furthermore, artworks created by female artists account for only 3.3% of global auction sales, according to the 2022 Burns Halperin report. Inspired by the legacy of the BMW Art Car, a company for which Straus has served as a Brand Ambassador, DART Car is the first initiative of its kind in motorsports to partner with contemporary female artists and women motorsport competitors to design and race high-performance art cars in the world’s most prestigious auto events. These unique collaborations anchor DART Car’s advocacy program, which strives to elevate women’s accomplishments in motorsports and fund an annual commissioning programming with the world’s leading female artists.
