• Log In
  • Become A Subscriber
  • News
  • Features
    • Special Features
    • Moss Special
    • Photography
    • Featured Editorials
    • Racecar Features
    • Roadcar Features
  • Race
    • Racecar Mag.
      • News
      • Features
      • Profile
      • Interview
      • Racecar Gallery
    • Columns
      • First Turn
      • Fast Lines
      • Fabulous Fifties
      • Heroes
      • Legends Speak
      • Stirling Speaks
      • Greatest Racecars
      • Last Lap
    • Profiles
      • Grand Prix History
      • Can-Am Racing
      • Grand Prix Cars
      • Mille Miglia
      • Race Profiles
      • Racecar Profiles
      • Driver Profiles
    • More
      • Art History
      • Fast Exposure
      • Hidden Treasure
      • Hot Laps
      • Time Capsule
      • Market Guide
      • The Golden Age
      • Hard Drive
  • Road
    • Roadcar Mag.
      • News
      • Features
      • Profile
      • Interview
    • Columns
      • From The Editor
      • By Design
      • Driven
      • Flashback
      • Roadcar Gallery
      • Roadcar Video
    • More
      • Roadcar Articles
      • Roadcar Features
      • Roadcar Interviews
      • Roadcar News
      • Roadcar Profiles
  • Brands
    • A to C
      • Alfa Romeo
      • Alpine
      • Auburn
      • Audi
      • Austin
      • Aston Martin
      • Bentley
      • BMW
      • Bugatti
      • Buick
      • Cadillac
      • Chevrolet
      • Chrysler
    • D to L
      • Dodge
      • Duesenberg
      • Ferrari
      • Fiat
      • Ford
      • Hispano Suiza
      • Honda
      • Koenigsegg
      • Jaguar
      • Lagonda
      • Lamborghini
      • Lancia
      • Lexus
      • Lincoln
      • Lola
      • Lotus
    • K to R
      • Maserati
      • Mazda
      • McLaren
      • Mercedes
      • MG
      • Mini
      • Mitsubishi
      • Morgan
      • Nissan
      • Packard
      • Pagani
      • Porsche
      • Renault
      • Rimac
      • Rolls-Royce
    • S to Z
      • SCG
      • Shelby
      • Spyker
      • Subaru
      • Sunbeam
      • Toyota
      • Triumph
      • Vauxhall
      • Volkswagen
      • Volvo
  • Events
  • Cars
    • Iconic Cars
    • SCD Car Profiles
    • VRR Car Profiles
    • Car Profiles
    • Garage & Collection Profiles
    • People Profiles
  • Market
    • Auctions Hub
    • Buyer Guides
    • Cars for Sale
  • For Sale
    • Cars for Sale
    • Dealer Showcase
  • Members
    • Become Member
    • Premium Content
    • Member Help
    • Free Newsletter
Reading
Life Imitating Art
ShareTweet
Turner also designed the bodywork for the 1966 M2B Grand Prix car, though by the time the car debuted at Monaco, it had changed significantly, including a different paint scheme paid for by John Frankenheimer!
Legends Speak

Life Imitating Art

 Michael Turner
Michael Turner
Michael Turner

Atmosphere and emotion are two ingredients I have tried to incorporate into my painting. It was Tony Kydd, the features editor of Motor Magazine in the late 1940s who said to me, “Without attention to background, scenery, and people you lose so much in a picture, it’s not good enough just to draw the car.” Being a bit of a free spirit, it was a jolly good job that I became a freelance artist and not a staff artist, as I had originally intended. It would be very difficult to express on canvas the ambiance of a place or event without experiencing it at firsthand. Most of my notes, however, were taken with a camera. I remember in the early days spending three or four hours sketching, people would get in the way, and invariably the cars I sketched would retire on the first lap or crash and I would find that I had wasted time. A camera allowed me to take many photographs from which I would be able to put together the drawing I would want. It would also allow me to examine the technical aspects of the cars. When aerodynamics first appeared, I was at Spa at an evening practice. Ferrari, Brabham and, of course, Lotus were experimenting with winglets and flippers. I positioned myself at the Masta kink watching the cars coming out. They were moving bloody quick. It was when I developed the pictures that I noticed those cars with the wings sat nearer to the ground than those without. At the next race at the Nürburgring I showed the photos to an intrigued Bruce McLaren, who borrowed them for a few days. It must be remembered that it was a time of “feeling in the dark” for aerodynamic work on racing cars.

I remember taking one of my paintings of the ’63 Belgian Grand Prix to Oulton Park to show Jimmy Clark, who had won the race with Lotus a few weeks before. He studied the picture for a while in the corner of the paddock, then turned to a colleague, remarking, “Christ, he’s even got the right number of tread grooves on the tire.” I was always aware and conscious that detail was important, and Jimmy’s remark was very important. It is not good enough when those in “the know” say, “Nice picture, but he’s got that bit wrong.” Movement in suspension, tires, and drivers’ attitudes in the cockpit are very important. Jimmy Clark had a particular way of tilting his head. Graham Hill was a bit more upright and rigid, concentrating a lot more. These things you only pick up from close involvement. I was, and continue to be, very passionate about motor racing, needing to be at the hub of the action, visiting continental races, South African races, all I might say, at my own expense. I wanted to be there though discovering firsthand what it was like, going a few days earlier than everyone else to explore the different backgrounds. It didn’t always work; sometimes I would walk for what seemed like miles struggling in the undergrowth only to be disappointed with the result.

No Subscription? You’re missing out

Get immediate ad-free access to all our premium content.

Get Started

Already a Member? Sign in to your account here.

Tags
Featured (Legends Speak)Featured (Racecar Feature)People (Bruce McLaren)

Get Our Free Weekly Newsletter

We bring you all the latest from the world of vintage and classic cars each week. News, auctions, events, vintage racing and more.

Michael Turner
Steve Natale has been playing with cars ever since he was old enough to first hold a matchbox car in his hand. A lifelong enthusiast of anything old with an engine in it or wheels on it, Steve has been active in the hobby for over 35 years. Currently he owns a successful marketing company with his wife Mary, is an automotive photographer, blogger and writer for several automotive magazines and regular contributor to various automotive websites. Steve has attended vintage car events and visited car museums and collections around the world.
Related
Its fastest lap of 4:26.0 was the quickest ever turned by a Cunningham entry at Le Mans, but it took ten seconds longer than the best lap of Ferrari’s latest 4.9-liter V-12.

The Ferrari That Went American

1947 Bentley Franay Drophead Coupe

Jaguar E Type

Donington Historic Festival 2025

On the Ground at Laguna Seca: Porsche Dominates Monterey Weekend

25C0091_009 Mercedes-Benz AG - Mercedes-Benz Classic Communications

Le Mans Winner Jochen Mass Passes: Age 78

From Stockholm to Salisbury: “Swede Speed” takes over Lime Rock Park

  • Free Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Paid Subscription
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • News
  • Cars For Sale
  • Special Feature
  • The Cars
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Subscribe
  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Meet the Team
Copyright © 2025 A07 Online Media
  • News
  • Features
    • Special Features
    • Moss Special
    • Photography
    • Featured Editorials
    • Racecar Features
    • Roadcar Features
  • Race
    • Racecar Mag.
      • News
      • Features
      • Profile
      • Interview
      • Racecar Gallery
    • Columns
      • First Turn
      • Fast Lines
      • Fabulous Fifties
      • Heroes
      • Legends Speak
      • Stirling Speaks
      • Greatest Racecars
      • Last Lap
    • Profiles
      • Grand Prix History
      • Can-Am Racing
      • Grand Prix Cars
      • Mille Miglia
      • Race Profiles
      • Racecar Profiles
      • Driver Profiles
    • More
      • Art History
      • Fast Exposure
      • Hidden Treasure
      • Hot Laps
      • Time Capsule
      • Market Guide
      • The Golden Age
      • Hard Drive
  • Road
    • Roadcar Mag.
      • News
      • Features
      • Profile
      • Interview
    • Columns
      • From The Editor
      • By Design
      • Driven
      • Flashback
      • Roadcar Gallery
      • Roadcar Video
    • More
      • Roadcar Articles
      • Roadcar Features
      • Roadcar Interviews
      • Roadcar News
      • Roadcar Profiles
  • Brands
    • A to C
      • Alfa Romeo
      • Alpine
      • Auburn
      • Audi
      • Austin
      • Aston Martin
      • Bentley
      • BMW
      • Bugatti
      • Buick
      • Cadillac
      • Chevrolet
      • Chrysler
    • D to L
      • Dodge
      • Duesenberg
      • Ferrari
      • Fiat
      • Ford
      • Hispano Suiza
      • Honda
      • Koenigsegg
      • Jaguar
      • Lagonda
      • Lamborghini
      • Lancia
      • Lexus
      • Lincoln
      • Lola
      • Lotus
    • K to R
      • Maserati
      • Mazda
      • McLaren
      • Mercedes
      • MG
      • Mini
      • Mitsubishi
      • Morgan
      • Nissan
      • Packard
      • Pagani
      • Porsche
      • Renault
      • Rimac
      • Rolls-Royce
    • S to Z
      • SCG
      • Shelby
      • Spyker
      • Subaru
      • Sunbeam
      • Toyota
      • Triumph
      • Vauxhall
      • Volkswagen
      • Volvo
  • Events
  • Cars
    • Iconic Cars
    • SCD Car Profiles
    • VRR Car Profiles
    • Car Profiles
    • Garage & Collection Profiles
    • People Profiles
  • Market
    • Auctions Hub
    • Buyer Guides
    • Cars for Sale
  • For Sale
    • Cars for Sale
    • Dealer Showcase
  • Members
    • Become Member
    • Premium Content
    • Member Help
    • Free Newsletter
All Access
  • Free Newsletter
Start typing to see results or hit ESC to close
Featured (Racecar Feature) Events All The Market (Auctions & Market) The Market (Auctions) Featured (Vintage Car Racing)
See all results

Get Our Free Weekly Newsletter

We bring you all the latest from the world of vintage and classic cars each week. News, auctions, events, vintage racing and more.