Behind the Scenes

Chevrolet Art Car

It all started with some ink on paper, a lot of tracing tryouts and kilometers of mouse movements. Winning the contest meant the artwork would come to life, so I flew to England to help wrap the vehicle. It was showcased for the first time in Torino, continued on to a race in Imola, and then to show off in France. The drawing was then released on limited edition watches. Back to project.

Use of the term “horsepower” persists as a legacy in many languages and industries, particularly as a unit of measurement of the maximum power output of internal-combustion engines of automobiles.

Horses and transportation have been intricately linked for centuries. Their importance is recorded throughout history — not to mention their presence in mythology and art.

That is why I designed this “horsepower” look for the Chevrolet Lacetti/Nubira World Touring Car, based on this dynamic, iconic animal.

The horse and its muscles were first illustrated in smaller scale on paper in order to achieve the rough, mechanical lines that would be painted over the whole car, to emphasize the power and sporty nature of the Chevrolet WTC vehicle.

Why gold? It’s the color of champions and associates the painting with the Chevrolet brand.

The most challenging aspect of the project was to properly apply the art to the race car. Making everything look neat on paper is one thing, crafting it in real life however, is an entirely different matter.

Thanks to all involved, the Chevrolet team and especially to Florence Camenzind and Eric Neve, the whole project was a wild ride and the horse looked pretty good on the racetrack. I was incredibly happy to take part in this amazing experience and for being able to sit in one of my childhood play cars — a Chevy Corvette.

Did my horse win the big race? Nope, the car got pushed off the track. But nevertheless it made quite the scene, picked up a few fans along the way and reminded me of a valuable lesson; there must be fun in everything we do!

Still wonder where the head is? The head of this horse is the driver of the car. Simple as that.