Starting next May 30, 96 vehicles will commemorate the work of César Manrique and parade it through the Canary Islands. This is a proposal from the car rental company Cicar, which has decided to replicate this initiative with which in 1987 the artist painted a limited series of Seat Ibiza.
Now, as soon as it takes over the official representation of Seat in Gran Canaria and Lanzarote, the Cabrera Medina Group will reproduce this initiative in the new Ibiza models. After an agreement with the César Manrique Foundation (FCM), owner of the rights, it has been possible to apply and adapt the original design to the current vehicle model. 96 units will be screen-printed, which Cicar will incorporate into its rental car fleet throughout the Canary Islands, and which will begin to circulate on the roads of the Islands from May 30, coinciding with Canary Islands Day. The presentation of this special model will take place this Wednesday at the César Manrique House Museum in Haría.
Almost 30 years ago, César Manrique captured his art on a Seat Ibiza (painting on car/art car) that was shown at the Barcelona International Motor Show in 1987, and which was baptized with the artist's last name: Seat Ibiza-Manrique-del Sol.
Vázquez Montalbán and Miguel Ríos had one
Another consequence of that initiative was that, in September 1987, Grupo Zeta gave a Seat Ibiza painted by Manrique to the 9 most prominent personalities in other areas of social and economic life in the country, by election of the readers of the group's publications. The winners were, among others, the writer Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, the ophthalmologist Joaquín Barraquer, the musician Miguel Ríos, the journalist Jesús Hermida, the tennis player Emilio Sánchez Vicario and Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, Duchess of Alba.
Manrique himself was presented with one of the vehicles painted by him and, after being restored, has been exhibited since 2013 in the César Manrique House Museum in Haría, of the César Manrique Foundation.
Cabrera Medina is linked to César Manrique through the Group's logo and, now, through the vehicle he painted almost 30 years ago. "This initiative has been possible with the invaluable collaboration of Seat España and the César Manrique Foundation," the company highlights.
