The UK’s automotive art scene continues to flourish, with car artists capturing the essence of motoring through various mediums. At Windrush Car Storage, we’ve had the privilege of encountering some of these exceptional talents. Whether through paintings, sculptures, or hand-crafted prints, these artists that draw cars bring automotive passion to life in stunning detail. Here are nine of the best UK-based car artists in 2025, each offering a unique perspective on the beauty of cars.
This month also marks the launch of the British Motor Museum’s Young Car Artist Competition 2025, celebrating emerging talent and encouraging a new generation to explore automotive creativity. As we highlight established names, we also look forward to seeing fresh artistic voices join the scene.
1. Speed Icons – Joel Clark
Joel Clark is a self-confessed ‘petrolhead’, known for his distinctive vinyl artwork, a skill he honed while creating race car liveries at Silverstone. His journey into fine art began after a 15-year advertising career, where he rediscovered his passion for motorsport aesthetics. Unlike traditional paintings, Clark’s technique involves hand-cut vinyl layering, which creates a vibrant, almost three-dimensional effect.
Speed Icons is a fitting name for his work, as his subjects are often iconic race cars, such as Formula 1 machines, Le Mans legends, and classic rally cars. His work has been showcased at Goodwood Festival of Speed and has been commissioned by elite car collectors and manufacturers. Clark’s signature style brings an electrifying energy to car artists’ drawings, making his pieces instantly recognisable.
2. Henry Falzon
Based in Malta but deeply connected to UK car culture, Henry Falzon specialises in intricate linocut prints. His work is particularly revered for its depiction of classic Land Rovers and off-road vehicles, capturing the raw mechanical beauty of these rugged machines.
The linocut technique involves hand-carving a design into a linoleum block, inking it, and pressing it onto paper, making each print unique. Falzon’s dedication to precision ensures that every nut, bolt, and panel line is carefully detailed. His artwork resonates with enthusiasts who appreciate classic British automotive heritage, from Series 1 Land Rovers to vintage military vehicles.
3. John Ketchell
John Ketchell’s paintings are a masterclass in capturing motion and speed. His brushstrokes create a dynamic blur, mimicking the rush of race cars at full throttle. ‘I like painting anything that goes fast,’ John says. ‘Aircraft, horses, whatever, but cars are the thing I really love. I can’t stand doing paintings of still cars. I always try to introduce a bit of movement.’
Indeed, Ketchell’s ability to portray high-speed action has made him one of the most sought-after artists that draw cars in the UK. His work covers a wide range of subjects, from 1950s Le Mans races to modern-day Formula 1 battles, and his distinctive impressionistic style makes his pieces truly unique.
4. Emma Capener Art
Emma Capener takes a contemporary approach to automotive art, focusing on the interplay between light, reflections, and form. Her work explores how light interacts with the surfaces of high-performance cars, creating captivating compositions that highlight the aesthetic beauty of vehicles.
In her drawings, she often uses D’Ache Luminance pencils on 4ply rising mount board, blending realism with abstract elements to give her subjects a unique glow. Her work is particularly popular among luxury car collectors, as it captures the elegance of marques such as Aston Martin, Ferrari, and Bentley in an artistic, dreamlike fashion.
5. Tim Layzell
Having sketched his first Bugatti aged just three, Tim Layzell’s career took off in 1995, when the 13-year-old won the British Racing Drivers Club’s prestigious Young Motoring Artist Award. He hasn’t looked back since, exhibiting his work everywhere from the Goodwood Revival to the Monaco Grand Prix.
Tim’s passion for the golden age of motorsport tends to inform his work. With a particular focus on the ’30s, he recreates historic encounters between Alfa Romeo and Bugatti, Mercedes and Auto Union, often on famed tracks like Donington and the Nürburgring. Inspired by the photography of the period, precision and realism are his calling cards – although he sometimes forks left into a thrilling pop art style that almost seems to be moving on your wall!
6. Brian James
A specialist in detailed automotive portraits, Brian James is known for his striking depictions of classic sports cars. Brian works in two distinct styles, the art deco flat colour image, influenced by the posters and graphics of the 1920s-30s period, and a more traditional painterly style, of acrylic on canvas.
Since 2009, BMW has invited Brian to paint the main illustration for the highly prestigious Villa d’Este Concorso d’Eleganza held annually on the shores of Lake Como in Italy. His ability to render reflections, metallic surfaces, and engine components in his distinctive style makes his paintings some of the most recognised car artists’ drawings in the industry.
7. PopBangColour
Few artists push the envelope like Ian Cook. Where others use a brush, the British painter relies on a fleet of remote control cars to skid across his canvases and create the pleasingly jagged representations of racing Minis and more.
Describing his work as “a friendly explosion of colour”, Cook has showcased his unique brand of performance art at events like the Bicester Scrambles and London Motorshow, always watched by huge crowds. He’s open to individual or corporate commissions, too, whether you choose his RC-rendered artwork or his equally ambitious continuous line drawings.
8. Road Race Rally
As champions of attention to detail, the Windrush classic car storage team salutes Road Race Rally for their equally fastidious approach. Whether it’s a dream machine or the pride and joy of your personal collection, simply send over a selection of photos and your artist will recreate the vehicle in exacting detail, right down to the seat fabric and stitching.
Road Race Rally’s flexible approach means it’s even possible to add text or specify backgrounds, making these bespoke artworks – which each take around 70 hours and up to 2000 digital layers – the perfect personalised addition to your garage or office.
9. Geoff Bolam
Inspired by art deco and the undulations of post-war sports cars, Geoff Bolam’s brainwave was using oil paints on aluminium, rather than a traditional canvas. “These vehicles often had aluminium bodywork,” he explains, “so it felt very appropriate and opened up lots of possibilities to use the metal as part of the composition and to introduce a sculptural quality to my work.”
Aluminium is no easy option: the surface must first be etched with acids, then polished, sanded and brushed, while the painting and glazing process takes up to eight weeks. But with Bolam offering limited edition prints and open to individual commissions, this is some of the most collectible car art around.
10. Guy Allen
Bold graphics and use of colour make a strong visual statement in the work of Guy Allen, a freelance illustrator based in Tunbridge Wells. Over a 25-year career, Guy has developed his distinctive style, having turned his hand to a range of creative disciplines, from graphic designer and automotive artist to editorial illustrator and cartoonist.
His distinctive and adaptable visual style has attracted an impressive clientele, including Porsche, Phillips, Lotus, Mazda, and Abarth. Notably, in 2019, Abarth commissioned Allen to create six exclusive pieces celebrating the brand’s 70th anniversary, each portraying iconic models from their history. His work has also been featured in esteemed publications like ‘Octane Magazine’ and showcased by institutions such as the Petersen Automotive Museum.
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Many of the artists listed can be found, among others, at Historic Car Art. For young car artists inspired by automotive creativity, don’t miss the British Motor Museum’s Young Car Artist Competition 2025, open until 28 April 2025, and an exciting opportunity to showcase emerging talent in the field of motoring art.
