Hot Painted Ferrari Art Car by Ton Pret

Dutch modern painter and fashion artist Ton Pret reveals Ferrari Art-Car on Open Art Fair

The Ton Pret Ferrari project is an unique art-car project where Dutch modern artist Ton Pret transformed a high-powered Ferrari 355 into 'The Fastest Artwork of Holland'. The project was executed in the summer of 2010.

Ton Pret Artist

Ton Pret started as a painter in 2005. His success emerged fast and work was exposed in the Amsterdam “Beurs van Berlage, the Fortezza da Basso in Florence, in Ascona Italy and the Amsterdam Rijksmuseum. Not only his paintings and sculptures are popular amongst art-lovers and collectors, also his shoes, jeans and watches are in growing demand worldwide. His colorful high-heeled shoes caused a stir in the latest Paris fashion shows.

Ton Pret Ferrari

With this art-car project Ton transformed a high-powered Ferrari 355 into 'The Fastest Artwork of Holland'. Ton comments: ‘’This project was done in assignment of a lover of Dutch modern art, whom I met in the end of 2009. When he proposed to paint his Ferrari in my style I immediately said yes. I never had second thoughts.” The combination of this well-designed car, the speed and the joy of colors can be characterized as explosive. The Ton Pret Ferrari is already causing lots of controversies, especially amongst car lovers. The Ton Pret Ferrari is not meant to be sold but will be on display at selected events.

The Project

The planning for this project started in January 2010. In the beginning of May the car was prepared by Ferrari bodywork specialists. The actual painting of the car took Ton seven weeks. The complete car was hand painted, using a small size brush. To reach the desired depth of the colors all painting had to be done at least three times over. Because of these high working standards, the project demanded far more time than initially planned.

The work was also physically demanding. Because the car is painted top-to-bottom, Ton had to perform most of his creative work from difficult angles. To protect the delicate technology of the car the entire project was executed under the expert supervision of the Ferrari Bodyshop in 's-Graveland, The Netherlands.

Art-car tradition

Ton is not the first Dutch artist creating an exclusive hand painted art-car. With this project Ton follows the footsteps of Cobra artist Karel Appel and rock star and painter Herman Brood. Internationally the BMW-art-car series are well-known, featuring Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and recently Jeff Koons.

Recently more and more cars are being decorated with a special car foil. This process is cost-effective and quick, the foil can be applied within a day. Because the original artwork is copied on foil the result can be easily reproduced. This technique was not an option for this project. The goal of Ton and the owner of the Ferrari was to create a real object of art that is and will always remain a unique piece.

The Ferrari

The Ferrari 355 GTS Competizione is in perfect condition. The car runs over 185 miles per hour. It has a 8 cylinder / 3.5 liter engine and weighs 1350 kilo. The original color was Giallo Modena (Ferrari yellow).

article via open art fair

Electric Goat Scooter, All the Rage - Alex Harrah

Alex Harrah could possible have created the worlds first electric art scooter. He took your basic scooter and replaced the handle bars with goats head or possibly a rams head. Either way horns for handlebars and cup holder is a nice Gothic touch.

Alex uses this scooter to get around due to being diagnosed with Alpha-1 as a result of having been a heavy smoker in the past. He now campaigns against smoking with his two other art cars.

The first was an art car called Cigs Kill created using the body of 1951 Nash Statesman and the frame of a 1978 Lincoln Mark V with extreme detail that took him seven years to complete.

Cigs Kill Art Car by Alex Harrah - Photo by T. Mitchell Jones

The most recent art car is a 1968 Cadillac hearse painted with cigs cigarettes called Home Grown Terror.

Home Grown Terror Art Car by Alex Harrah - Photo by Tim Klein

Art Car submitted by Ghetto MySpace

Its not so much about this graffiti art car and the guy sitting pretty on the roof with the Gatorade bottle, as it is about guy who sent this picture. Dan Goodman stand up comic is the creator of a web site called Ghetto Myspace with real pics from the web's worst hood that is both both fascinating and terrifying at the same time. I warn you, I got sucked into it 20 pages deep and viewer discretion is advised due to the mature nature of the photos.

***MATURE CONTENT WARNING*** 

Explicit Material Depicting:
men with guns, women with guns, kids with guns, guns with guns, lots of cash, art made with cash, more cash, people eating cash, gold teeth, booty shots, guns and cash, drugs and guns, drugs, cash and guns, art made with guns, guns pointed at you, dead gang members in coffins, tattoos and guns, tattoos guns and cash, tattoos and cash, strippers with cash, strippers with cash and guns, corn rows with guns, corn rows with tattoos cash and guns, the bird with guns, the bird with cash, the bird with booty guns cash and tattoos, babies and guns, dogs cash and guns and the one that freaked me out...babies with guns and cash.

You have been warned...

4 Startfish + 4 Barbies = TWCRV aka The Worlds Cutest RV

I got an "art car" submission the other day for an RV owner who had about 4 star fish, 4 barbies,  one shark, three fish, one Easter bunny, one seagull, two happy faces, a cat painted tire cover, a bunch of burning man stickers, and two bikes. The rest of the RV is totally bare. At first I rejected the submission which I rarely do but I had a change of heart after I looked up the definition of an Art Car.

An art car is a vehicle that has had its appearance modified as an act of personal artistic expression. Art cars are often driven and owned by their creators, who are sometimes referred to as "Cartists"

I guess by definition the "TWCRV" AKA The Worlds Cutest RV is an Art Car. OK Sheldon, you made it to ACC, but promise me you will be adding more stuff and then send me a picture of your progress.

My definition of an art car here on Art Car Central is the same as the above definition BUT, I was looking for something that was a bit more "covered". Like the Art Car Campers below.

Double Decker RV at Burning Man

Wesley Dezern's RV, by artist Pat Waldron

Graffiti RV

Drive by Paintball RV Art Car

Hot Westcoaster Mailster Art Car For Sale

This hot 1965 Westcoaster Mailster Art Car is now for sale right on craiglist for only $2500 in Phoenix AZ. This old mail truck in phoenix runs great and still has the original v twin motor with a 3 speed manual transmission. Its a must have for this years art car parade season.

Miami EV Project - VW Golf Art Car by LEBO Studios

Have you ever sat around with your friend and though, "hey, we should make our car an electric car"?

Danny Alva and Donato Helbling woke up one day and decided to turn their VW into an electric car. This DIY project can be found Miami EV Project for all to see and keep up on their journey.

They took a Volkswagen Golf III, gave it an amazing paint job by LEBO Studios, called the Buzz and swapped out the engine and fuel tank for an electric motor and batteries. After about 70 days of hard work, the final product was on display at the Green Art Fair Miami 2008. Even though the two were a bit exhausted by the challenge, they were ready to tackle more conversions soon.

Their mission is to research and develop electric vehicles and to provide public education and promotion of this alternative way of transportation. Helbling's big question is this: "If we can do it, why can't everybody? Do we really need to wait for car companies to sell us a new electric car?" To answer that, keep an eye out for Alva and Helbling to possibly work on a reality show or documentary series called "Green Your Ride."

Mercedes Art Car or Illuminati Conspiracy

I am not sure what a half a Mercedes art car with the face of Karl Max and Jimi Hendrix means but here are some thoughts.

1) Goofy kid who thinks that Karl and Jimi were in a band together.

2) Artistic commentary: Karl Marx a German communist philosopher wrote against the capitalistic system in his Communist Manifesto is represented in this half Mercedes Art Car.

3) Its part of a secret government conspiracy and the government media complex funded by George Soros backed by the Bilderberg Group with roots in the Illuminati.  Their goal is to take over the world, and create a one world government in which the elite will rule the masses. They will do this by collapsing our current economic system and then setting up a new system making it mandatory for everyone to get implanted with a bio chip aka "the mark of the beast" in order to buy and sell products. They will start by cutting Mercedes cars in half, painting them with images of Karl Marx and then attaching them to federal buildings as a sign that the end is near.


4) Just a Mercedes Art Car.

What do you think this means???

Jeff Towns Art Car Lights up and Burns Rubber - Accessorod

Jeff Towns has managed to combine the best of three worlds, Art, Safety and Burnt Rubber. He has turned his 80's Oldsmobile art car in to a glow in the dark burning rubber monster machine. Nice work.

Nancy Reagan Art Car Billboard

uploaded by ehoyer.

Here is an art car with a giant photo of Nancy Reagan on a van totally protected from towing, wheel booting and vandalism. Its in San Francisco so I guess it needs all that, but I am not sure the purpose of it all.

The Making of Stellabelle Art Car - Video

Here is an art car from one of my facebook friend named Leah Stella called Stellabelle a 99 Toyota with Almost 200,000 miles on it. The outside depicts worms, lights and Dr. Suess style things and was painted using exterior house paint. Stella is a videographer, composer, graphic artist and Youtube director with a very interesting video of the making of her art car and if you like this there is plenty of it where that came from on her YouTube channel.

Bollywood Taxi Art Car - Basanti the Bollywood Amby

I received this wonderful Indian Bollywood Taxi Art Car made from an Amby car, one of India Iconic cars from Valay the other day. Not only is it painted on the outside but its also got a great festive disco feel on the inside with plenty of red plush material and few Indian disco balls.. This is the Indian version of the Ultimate Taxi from Aspen Colorado.

Basanti is Julian Parr's brain child.
It's hand painted in Bollywood poster art style with Bollywood's most iconic movies and their songs from the past. Exteriors designed by Valay Gada and Satinder and the interiors done by Julian himself...

An ex regional director of Oxfam GB Julian needed to have fun after a day long of 'saving the world' and Basanti the ambassador does just that....It's kitsch, mad and brings a smile to even the urchins who for a second join the escape Bollywood movies provides to the masses from their tough days and keeps them going....

Floating Mobile Phone Box

This floating Mobile Phone Box is probably a photoshop job but it sure is funny looking. via

Clown car used to transport illegal immigrant clowns

According to JestReport.com the latest  immigration threat to the border of Arizona this Pontiac Bonneville clown art car was pulled over transporting illegal immigrants dressed as clowns. They reported that as many as 100 illegals were seeing exiting this car when pulled over by border patrol in Arizona. Its a serious situation and steps were taken to combat this influx of illegal clowns by outfitting border patrol vehicles with pies, squirt flowers, foam clubs and nerf shot guns. Border patrol were also given all terrain clown shoes and canisters of silly string.

Painted Planes with Character

Mickey and Minnie Mouse Jet

These painted airplanes have what you might say a lot of  "character", that is cartoon characters all over them.  Some airline companies have decided to brighten the sky with airplanes completely covered with animated cartoon characters like Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Pokemon, Woody Woodpecker, Homer and Marge Simpson, I know I would love to fly in one of these. via Dark Roasted Blend

Mickey and Minnie Mouse Jet (image credit: Simon Brooke)

Pokemon Jet All Nippon Airways, photo by Michael F. McLaughlin

Pokemon Jet Another All Nippon Airways, photo by Kota Murahashi

Pokemon Jet (image credit: Shotaro Shimizu)

Woody Woodpecker Jet (image credit: Xu Zheng)

Simpsons Jet Simpsons livery, photo by AirNikon

Porsche 356 Art Car painted with M.C Escher Reptiles

This Porsche 356 was painted by Author and Graphic Designer Jasper Fforde with M.C Escher's famous reptiles. This art car was based on a car driven by a character in one of his books.

Octapus Saab Art Car Reaching Out in Rhode Island

This Octapus 1987 Saab 900turbo art car has been seen reaching out in Rhode Island recently created by Aly of Killer Car Kustoms.

Ford Kuga Art Car Painting by Ian Cook - Painted with RC Cars and Tires

On Saturday 4th September - Artist Ian Cook aka Popbang Colour painted the Ford Kuga live on the Internet using radio controlled cars. The Ford Kuga team was there to capture all the action. Check out the video of how he did and for more photos go to flickr.

Magic Art Car From Osijek Croatia

Magic Art Car from Croatia
The Magic Art car project was submitted by Dinko Bukvic from Osijek Croatia as part of a kids event called "land without borders". They had 17 kids from 4 to 14 years of age participate in painting this art car that took 5 days to complete. It was an educational project meant to engage the kids imagination and creativity by designing, and painting it from start to finish. The parents did a great job and got involved as well and were very helpful in getting everyone cleaned up after. I think this is my first art car from that part of the world and I look forward to seeing more art cars submitted from Croatia, great job.
Kids working on Magic Art Car	Finished Magic Art Car

Fileteado Renault Art Car by Alfredo Genovese

This 1981 Renault Hatchback Art Car was painted by artist Alfredo Genovese in Fileteado art work and submitted by Martin. It was on sale for about $6,000 back in 2007 from Argentina, but I don't know now who owns it.via
Here is also a video by the same artis working on a Fiat 600.

Corporate Hippie Oxymoron Art Bus - By Radio 96.3

This Radio 96.3 Cool Bus was sent in by Wallie an art school bus from Seymour Indiana created as a promo bus for their radio station. I think this falls under the "corporate hippie bus" category which I believe may be a total oxymoron.