LE MANS 90 YEARS
Car Art showcases its gallery of 50 works

June 22-23, 2013 marks 90 years since the first Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency was held in the town of Le Mans, France. Today, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is the oldest and grandest endurance race for automobiles. To commemorate the time, Car Art’s Peter Ayett is showcasing 50 works of art from its Le Mans collection. Among the 40 works, Car Art is singling out a few of the most accomplished artists. “Sixteen top motorsports artists portray cars from 14 legendary teams, in races from 1929 to 2003,” says Ayett. As to why Car Art chose to showcase its Le Mans collection, Ayett notes that it is the most famous race the world to many. “The limits of man and machine are tested virtually non-stop for 24 hours on the Circuit de la Sarthe. This 8.5 mile track is extremely dangerous, with speeds in excess of 200 mph.” Ayett also points out that a section of the original course will be recreated for the 90th anniversary. “Roads at the Pontlieue Hairpin, used from 1923-1928 will be returned to their former glory, says Ayett. “The average lap speed back then was 70 miles per hour. They have since doubled to 140 mph.”

About Car Art Soutern California-based Car Art was found in 2002 by Peter Aylett. As the great-grandson of a London carriage maker, Aylett developed an early appreciation for car design. During his 25-year career as an automotive design engineer with Ford, Lotus, Mercedes, GM, Nissan, and Mazda, he helped create concepts like the Corvette Stingray III and production cars like the Esprit, De Lorean and RX-8. “CarArt.us prides itself as the largest automotive art gallery online, offering a range of original paintings, signed, limited-edition prints, posters, sculptures, and even car art watches,” says Aylett. Car Art celebrates its 11th anniversary this month. For more information about Car Art, go to carart.us. To view Car Art’s Le Mans gallery, click here.