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My aim was to make a beautifully detailed, almost jewel-like, artwork of this client’s Mercedes to add to my portfolio of classic car paintings. The car, isolated against the natural texture of birch, is clearly and calmly presented, with no distraction. Wood panel art, a craft traditionally associated with religious icon painting, is used here to pay homage to icons of motoring.
Here are various photos showing the painting process for this portrait. Painted for a private collector in Israel, it shows his specific 1970 car, complete with spotlights, historic vehicle number plate, whitewall tyres and unique hubcaps which match the interior trim.
The sports SL made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1963, where Mercedes-Benz Technical Director Prof. Fritz Nallinger introduced it as follows: “It was our aim to create a very safe and fast sports car with high performance, which despite its sports characteristics, provides a very high degree of traveling comfort”.
This was the first sports car with a “safety body,” based on Bela Barényi’s extensive work on vehicle safety: It had a rigid passenger cell and designated crumple zones with impact-absorbing front and rear sections built into the vehicle structure. The interior was “rounded,” with all hard corners and edges removed, as in the W 111 sedan.
It was also the first Mercedes-Benz with radial tires. – Adapted from the Wikipedia entry on the Mercedes W113.
You can see more of my classic car artwork, on my automotive art portfolio page.