The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance released the commemorative posters for the 2017 event, in addition to the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance and Pebble Beach RetroAuto. The tradition of creating these posters dates back more than 60 years to the first Pebble Beach Road Race and Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance held in 1950. Artists are now commissioned to paint them, and they generally showcase automobiles related to the annual features for each Concours.
Ferrari celebrates its 70th Anniversary at Pebble Beach this year, so two of the posters feature prancing horses. The third poster focuses on the pre-war featured marque, Isotta Fraschini.
The 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance poster, painted by automotive artist Barry Rowe, portrays a car that is quintessentially Ferrari — offering the best of both road and race capabilities. Illustrated on the poster, a 1951 Ferrari 212 Export Touring Barchetta (chassis 0102 E) graces the competition field early one significant Sunday morning in August.
The car’s first owner, Pietro Palmieri, raced it in the Giro Delle Calabrie and the Coppa Adriatica finishing first in class and a 2nd and 4th overall. It was later loaned to and raced by Bobby Baird, leading to another class win at the RAC’s famed Tourist Trophy race in Dundrod, Ireland.
The Barchetta is perhaps most-known for its appearance in the movie “The Racers,” produced by Twentieth Century-Fox in 1955 and starring Kirk Douglas. It is said that the movie’s producer, Henry Hathaway, approached Enzo Ferrari for the loan of some cars for the movie, but Enzo said “no.” Fox studios then approached Phil Hill, who helped to broker the sale of three Ferraris. To avoid giving Ferrari any free publicity, Hathaway had the cars modified and called them “Buranos.” The car was soon traded to Tom Carstens and then to various owners in the U.S. One owner from Carmel, California, Al Crundall, showed it at the 1966 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. A duplicate Burano body was also created for it at one point.
The current owner, Tom Peck of Irvine, California, united the original body with its original chassis, both of which have been restored to their initial conditions. “The wonderful sound of 12 cylinders is music I recall from my childhood when I first learned about Ferraris and sports cars in general; I am humbled to now own one,” said Peck.
Barry Rowe painted his first poster for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance back in 1998, beginning a 20-year tradition of illustrating the events of Pebble Beach Automotive Week.
“It is always a pleasure painting a Ferrari, there is such magic in their history,” said Rowe. “And the light at Pebble Beach changes all the time, so I never find it difficult to create a new scene.”
Before pursuing his passion for painting automobiles, Rowe studied graphic design at the College of Art in Coventry and worked for years as an art director in advertising. His career took off when he won the Sotheby’s Art Award for his portrait of five-time world champion Juan Manuel Fangio, leading to commissions from Louis Vuitton of Paris, Royal Mail, Royal Doulton and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Rowe’s work has captured nine Awards of Excellence and the Lincoln Award as part of the annual Automotive Fine Arts Society exhibit during the Pebble Beach Concours.
For more information about Barry Rowe and his artwork, visit BarryRowe.com.
The 2017 Pebble Beach RetroAuto poster, painted by artist Tim Layzell, features a 1956 Ferrari 250 GT Zagato (chassis 0515) posed at the edge of Spanish Bay. The cobalt blue 250 Ferrari GTZ with contrasting white double-bubble top takes center stage in front of clear baby blue skies and a turquoise Pacific Ocean.
Only five Ferraris were bodied by Zagato, and each one is different from the others. This 250 GTZ is a blend of form, function, colors, proportions and stance. The rear fenders evoke broad shoulders, while the roofline is light and airy, and there is an artistically subtle “Z” shape to the rear roof pillar. It was built for one of Ferrari’s best clients, Vladimiro Galluzzi of Milan. Galluzzi showed it at the concours events in Cortina and at the Campione d’Italia. He also raced it in the 1956 Dolomites Gold Cup, where it took second in class.
After passing through several owners, including Lorenzo Zambrano and Ed Niles, Zagato coachwork collector David Sydorick acquired it in 1999. This emblematic one-off spéciale has since been shown around the world. This Ferrari is a great artistic example of postwar rolling sculpture; it is Zagato’s masterpiece.
Poster artist Tim Layzell has developed two distinct artistic styles. In one, he paints with an eye to realism and detail while maintaining an element of nostalgia, reflecting the unique tones provided by color photography of the 1950s and early 1960s. In other works, he paints in his own distinctive “pop art” style where solid blocks of color and strong lines draw the observer’s eye into the work.
The 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance poster marks the 20th anniversary of the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance. Featured on this year’s poster (also painted by Layzell) is an Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8 stretching its long body down the California coast as if on Tour.
Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A, introduced in late 1919, featured the world’s first production straight 8 engine. Isotta also pioneered the use of 4-wheel brakes. The body showcases a striking art-deco–inspired radiator stone guard that served as a stylistic hallmark for the coachbuilder, and the brilliant violet blue color scheme.
In the late twenties, when Isottas were all the rage, they were perhaps the most dazzling automobiles on the market—especially as a representation of the pre-depression lifestyle of people of wealth. It was not uncommon for America’s top public figures during the twenties to be seen driving an Isotta Fraschini. The list included “It Girl” Clara Bow, newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, actor Rudolph Valentino and professional boxing champion Jack Dempsey. The 1950 Academy Award winning movie Sunset Boulevard also featured a Castagna bodied Isotta Faschini landaulet, helping to keep alive the name after the war.
[Source: Pebble Beach Concours]
