Editorial illustration has its tricks, especially if the subject matter is automobile racing.

Most of the times artwork is better appreciated by the readers if it reflects accurately the technical details mentioned in the text, but there are instances that call for capturing the spirit of the story, with the car being only one component among those that bring the picture to life.

When ROAD & TRACK asked me to illustrate Tim Considine’s captivating “GRAND PRIX! The First 100 Years” it didn’t take long until I realized that I had to go whimsical.

Early photo equipment wasn’t adequate to shoot at big moving objects passing nearby, and most chassirettes’ efforts resulted in distorted images in total revolt against the laws of perspective. Why, then, not to free myself from them too, and  play with a composition in which every element took the shape and angle that better suited a sense of dynamism as brought to the eye by the birth of new, nearly incomprehensible sport.

1906 Grand Prix de l’Automobile Club de France winner, Ferenc Szisz, and mechanic Marcel Marteau never dreamed of riding their 12 liter Renault this fast!