The ‘Colors Of Speed’ Collection From Automobilist Is Now Available In The Shop

You can find the complete ‘Colors of Speed’ collection in the Petrolicious Shop

The Czechs behind Unique & Limited have been producing some of the most realistic and well-regarded digital artwork for some time now, and though much of their released work is a on a limited edition basis (the two words in the name both being descriptive of the art), they have also been releasing unlimited prints showcasing their distinct style and skill in rendering automotive icons. That outfit, called Automobilist, offers the kind of otherworldly creations that have made the artists famous in the vintage car community.

Otherworldly used not to be hyperbolic about the talents that go into making this stuff, but because of the look achieved through the process of creation. Modeled of course on real life cars, the GTOs and GT40s you see here are all created from scratch on a computer, and so while they come out true-to-proportion and with all the realistic details intact, there is a bit of extra sheen or presence or weight lent to these works from the medium chosen to portray them. There is a tinge of digital over-perfection that makes these already intriguing cars just that much more compelling to look at.

The Racing Colors series consists of well-known race cars and their most famous liveries set against block-color backgrounds that mimic the main hues on the cars. A simple, yet very effective presentation, that is, if the desired effect is a bold chunk of racing history that shows off its provenance with simple and hard-to-miss swaths of color before pulling you into the minute details included on the subject itself: the car. Petrolicious is proud to carry the collection in the Shop, and it’s quite the automotive all star team as you’ll see below.

Ferrari GTO

Few cars are held in such high regard as the Ferrari 250 GTO: created between 1962-1964 by a team led by Giotto Bizzarrini, each buyer of the 39 produced had to be personally approved by Enzo Ferrari himself, and today, the prestige has only intensified. The Ferrari 250 GTO took part in some of the most famous races in history: the 24 hours of Le Mans, the Targa Florio and the Tour De France Automobile.

Ford GT40

The GT40 was designed in the 1960s specifically to beat Ferrari, and beat Ferrari is exactly what the car did – but its impact on motorsport ended up being far greater than either company anticipated. In 1966, the Mk.II version of the car dominated the 24 hours of Le Mans, finishing first, second and third. The black-colored Shelby-American Inc. GT40, driven by Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon, finished first in ‘66.

Porsche 917

If someone were to make a list of the greatest race cars of all time, the 917 would almost certainly be on it –revered for its high power output and speeds in excess of 220mph. The car gave Porsche its first overall win at the world famous endurance race in 1970.

Porsche 911R, RS, and RSR

In 1967, four drivers from Switzerland set out to break a number of records at Monza in their Porsche 906. However, the 906 broke down and Porsche sent them replacement 911Rs instead to reach their goal. In the Porsche 911R, the team set eleven time and distance records in the 2.0 liter class and five world records at 15,000km, 10,000 miles, 20,000 km, 72 hours, and 90 hours. The average speed recorded at the end of the over 20,000km run was 130.02mph. The Porsche 911R poster depicts this historic car.

Designed to meet motorsport requirements, the RS featured a larger engine than the standard 911 S, stiffened suspension, and an iconic ‘ducktail’ rear spoiler. In total, 1,580 were made between 1973 and 1974, all of which qualified for the FIA Group 4 class.

The Porsche 911 Carrera has always been a special car; the RS model perhaps even more so; but the Porsche RSR is really something else entirely. Tuned to produce 280 bhp at 8000 rpm, the engine is a substantial step on from the RS unit; the brake discs are borrowed from the 917; and the wheels are much wider too. All this adds up to a racing superstar – and the 1973 Targa Florio winner, driven by Gijs van Lennep and Herbert Müller. The Porsche 911 RSR poster from the Colors of Speed collection depicts this iconic car.

McLaren M23

This McLaren M23 poster from the Colors of Speed collection depicts James Hunt’s title-winning McLaren M23. It was one of the most successful chassis McLaren ever built in terms of longevity. Battered and bruised by the adverse weather conditions of the 1976 Japanese Grand Prix, the M23’s quality still shone through as it took Hunt to third place on the day – and first place in the drivers’ standings.

BMW 328 Berlinetta

This BMW 328 poster depicts the car that won the 1940 Mille Miglia. To help celebrate BMW’s 100th anniversary, Automobilist thought it fitting to create an artistic tribute to what the Bavarian company considers its finest motorsport victory. And there’s good reason: the BMW scored the overall win and the team win – as well as third, fifth and sixth place. The driver of the winning car was Huschke von Hanstein, but it was his co-driver, Walter Baumer, who took the checkered flag after an incredible driver swap just before the end of the race.

Maserati 250F

The phenomenal Maserati 250F carried the equally incredible Juan Manuel Fangio to what many consider to be one of the greatest victories in racing history in 1957. The German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring ended up being the pinnacle of Fangio’s legendary career, where he showed the world what he was really capable of. Even after a disastrous pit stop, he was able to string together a succession of 10 awe-inspiring laps in the 250 F – breaking the lap record a total of 9 times – and overtaking both Peter Collins and Mike Hawthorn to take first place. The Maserati 250F poster from the Colors of Speed collection depicts this historic car.

Bugatti T35

his Bugatti Type 35 poster from the Colors of Speed collection depicts a car that won over 1000 races in its time. It was also driven in the 1928 Targa Florio by perhaps one of the greatest female drivers of all time; Elizabeth Junek. Talented enough to beat many of the world’s motoring elite, Junek certainly surprised a few of her male counterparts while behind the wheel of the T35.

You can find the complete ‘Colors of Speed’ collection in the Petrolicious Shop