They Say Imitation is the Highest Form of Flattery, but…

Recently, I received a package from my brother. Knowing I am a Delorean owner, he though I’d appreciate a Delorean-themed neck gaiter. (For those who don’t know, a gaiter is kinda of a scarf that can be work as a face mask… necessary in these COVID times.)

To my surprise, the gaiter featured artwork that was stolen from one of MY illustrations! As you can see from these images, the car illustration on the gaiter is the same as the one on my original piece. Notice the dark gradated lines that cross the rear of the car, the rear wheel… the gradated line that crosses the side mirror and front wheel, and the white gradated line that crosses both wheels. All of these elements are the same on both images. In fact, if you overlayed the images, they would match up.

The seller, LOLLILOLLEPO, has likely stolen the intellectual property of many designers. Pirating takes money out of hard working people’s pockets, and should not be tolerated. I contacted Amazon.com (where the item was purchased) to lodge a copyright infringement complaint. 

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Not Just Any Parking Lot

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The Delorean and “Back to the Future” are icons that are joined at the hip… a fact I didn’t know when I bought my car in 2005. But over the years I learned much of the Back to the Future (BTTF) lore.

Being in Southern California, I’m in close proximity to many of the locations used in the movies. Doc Brown’s house, for instance, is near my latest alma mater (ArtCenter) in Pasadena. This weekend, I had the opportunity to visit the Puenta Hills Mall for a socially-distanced charity car meet. After the meet I took my car to the parking lot pictured here. Why? Because this is the location where the infamous chase scene occurred in the beginning of the first Back to the Future movie. It looks very different now, but this is where Doc sent Einstein back 2 minutes in time, and Marty was later transported in to the 50s after being chased by two Libyans terrorists.

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Audi RS6 Avant

Last Sunday I attended Malibu Cars and Coffee, as I often do. But in addition to the usual beautiful classic cars, I was surprised to see a pair of Audi RS6 Avants being premiered. The car’s elegantly simple design is striking, and the interior seemed like a knockout (I wasn’t allow too close to the cars). If I was in the market for a new car, this would be a compelling choice… sporty, pretty, and utilitarian. The trifecta!

Aston Martin F1 Race Car Build

Well, here’s something you don’t see everyday! The Motoring Club (Marina Del Rey) hosted the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Team today… and they built an F! race car during the club’s Mexican Grand Prix viewing party.

It was intriguing to see the car take shape, and even how the car fit into its shipping container was kind of interesting. Paired with a great motorsports event, tacos, and a nice crowd and it was a pretty amazing event.

Corvette C8 Roadster

This entry is a bit late, but I recently had the opportunity to attend the premier of the 2020 C8 Roadster at The Motoring Club (Marina Del Rey, CA). In person, the car was quite impressive — the new mid-engine layout give the car a very modern, athletic stance while remaining easily recognizable as a Corvette. Inside, the driver-oriented cabin’s design was modern, and functional. Materials seemed quite nice, and the forward view was great, thanks to the forward positioning of the cabin.

The following day the roadster appeared at Supercar Sunday in Woodland Hills. In natural light it looked even better. Last weekend, the coupe appeared at ArtCenter’s Car classic sporting an attractive bronze paint that gave the car a more understated appearance.

I recently created a graphic render of the roadster… check out the video here.

2019 ArtCenter Car Classic

2019 ArtCenter Car Classic… as always, an amazing concours with some of the rarest, and most beautiful cars on earth! It was incredible to see the famous Lancia Stratos Zero in the flesh (so unbelievably low, and the paint glistened in the natural light). Other favorites: the elegantly simple Pontiac Vivant, and the impossibly beautiful Talbot Lago. Counting the days until the 2020 show!