Plywood Porsche Artwork
I have installed many decorative tin signs and framed posters in our garage at home, all of which are related to automotive themes. Lydia is always on the hunt for interesting ones portraying the car brands I admire. She has found colorful and original signs that display very well in our rustic two-car garage. We came to realize though, that these signs are all about the same size, 8 X 12 inches to 10 X 14 inches, and most of them are positioned vertically. I always hope to find bigger ones to break up the repetitive pattern no matter how they are displayed, yet we have discovered that anything larger is rare and when available, about ten times the price of the small ones. These high prices launch us into the realm of original artwork and that insight led me to think that perhaps I could make my own.
During the COVID lockdown I was looking for Christmas decorations that suited the age of our nineteenth century house and was unable to find anything era-appropriate, so I decided to make plywood cutouts and paint them. It was a great project that allowed me to practice my jigsaw cutting skills, something I really needed to work on and also discover whether I could draw and paint, something I had never attempted before. The cutouts I made turned out well and I went on to made more for other holidays such as Easter and Halloween. That successful experience compelled me to try to do the same for cars.
For the first garage project, I settled on portraying the back end of a 356 SL “Gmund.” I drew half of the image free-hand on cardboard, cut the template and traced both halves on a piece of 1/2 inch plywood. That way I was certain both halves would be identical and create a symmetrical car. I cut out the outline with my jigsaw, drew and then painted directly on the textured board. I cut out plugs to create the taillights and used 1/4-inch plywood glued to the car as a bumper. I also made tail pipes by creating plugs and drilling out the center with a Forstner drill bit.
Like all the other signs I created, the 356 has a folk-art look to it, primarily because my artistic skills are limited but also because I make a point of using only materials that are in my workshop, forcing me to find solutions that are unusual and hopefully creative. Lydia and I were very happy with the result once the sign was hanging on the wall. The contoured cutout shape of the piece complements the rectangular artwork hanging around it.
As I was working on the 356 sign, I came across a You Tube video announcing that the first 1966 Porsche 910 (Carrera 10) race car was being put up for auction. The successor to the 904 and 906 models, the 910 takes the 906 concept one step further in its development by replacing many of the former’s production car components and introducing racing engine, F-1 wheels and tires as well as track-focused suspension pieces. The 910 is a major step in Porsche’s race car evolution that then continued with the 908 and culminated with the legendary 917, identified by many racing historians as the most successful road racing car of all time.
Twenty-nine 910s were produced by Porsche and they had middling success in endurance racing. The Number 1 car was entered in the 1969 Österreichring 1000-kilometer race and F1 world champion, Niki Lauda co-drove the car in that race. The car being auctioned is stunning, represents the apex of race car development during that era and unlike today’s race cars that use every millimeter of body work to sell advertising, this one displays only three stickers, one for BP Petroleum, the second for Shell Oil and the third for Bosch spark plugs. An auction photo shows a side view of the car with its enormous rear clam shell open to expose the engine and that view compelled me to produce a second cutout.
As with the 356, I drew the outline on cardboard and cut out the rear section so that I could position it at a visually appealing angle. I also had to exercise some artistic licence to ensure the clam shell was solidly secured to the car by adding a piece of imaginary frame as an attachment point. Otherwise, this project was straightforward while involving a lot of detailed drawing and painting. The red nose is only painted that colour on the right side of the car and I suspect was done to help the pit crew identify it as it was speeding by.
It too looks terrific on the wall. I feel like there are many more cars out there that would suit this type of plywood cutout rendering. I am looking forward to making more of these cutouts and am open to any suggestions that readers may have. I am also amenable to discussing making some on order if anyone is interested in dressing up their own garage.