"If you can dream it, you can do it."
Enzo Ferrari
Tony lauro
My fascination with automotive art and sculpture began while I was a design student at the Cleveland Institute of Art.
During my time in the program I ate, slept, and breathed all things cars. I was a man possessed, unrelenting in my obsession. I sketched cars seven days a week for at least 8 – 10 hours a day the entire year. In addition to perfecting my design skills, I tried to increase my knowledge and design vocabulary by immersing myself in anything automotive related. Techniques, motorsports, design icons, engineering, fabrication… everything!
It was during this time that I discovered a group of artists who were displaying automotive artwork at various concours d’elegance. I was immediately fascinated with the concept of creating artwork that could transcend the constraints that I was bound to as a design student. I soon found myself supplementing my design assignments with “creative breaks”. Stolen moments where I could relax by creating automotive artwork and sculpting the occasional speed form. It was addicting. My student work began to slip more into the creative art realm than the practical, surely affecting my chances of becoming a designer for the “Big Three”. It also probably didn’t help that all I ever talked about was Ferrari, Porsche and F1 in a corporate Detroit environment!
Designing four dour sedans and SUV’s was the price of admission to a OEM design position during the early 1990’s. Trucks never stirred my creative soul and I soon found myself yearning to extend my reach. It was then that I began to believe that there might be something more. I often daydreamed of hand-building my own sports car much like my childhood hero Enzo Ferrari. Why not learn to do so by creating automotive sculpture? Although not as exhilarating as fabricating my own exotic car, creating sculpture would be less daunting of a leap.
That singular thought back in 1994 sent me down a road that has taken the entirety of my life. Along the way I worked at numerous design jobs to support my dream. I put in the hours and did whatever it took to stay on track with my vision. I have spent my entire life learning about the legendary Carrozzerias and their techniques. I wanted to engage enthusiasts in a way that they could understand and connect with based on the common knowledge of how the cars of their dreams were made. I knew if they saw the exposed wooden buck and the raw, hammered aluminum they would know and share my passion.
Of course this meant also acquiring the tools to do so. I’ve spent years saving enough money to slowly accumulate the myriad of tools necessary for my journey. I also traveled and studied alongside several of the Nation’s greatest metal crafters. I honed my skills on night and day until I felt ready to unleash my vision.
That first vision was my sculpture entitled “Heritage of Speed”.
The primary focus of my automotive sculpture is to capture the raw energy, speed, and fluidity of the automotive form. I try to reflect the techniques and traditional methods of fabrication that influenced the character of the original design. The hand-built subtleties that give a car its’ persona. The nuances of undulating curves of aluminum as they intersect in sharp creases. The contrasting rough hewn, underlying wooden buck that serves as the foundation. I combine all these different artistic elements into a singular, emotional statement.
My Process
A significant aspect that separates my sculptures from others is that they are created out of metal using the same techniques and tools as the original Carrozzerias. I hand craft each automotive sculpture using the “lost art” of coachbuilding. I use the same methodology established by legendary coachbuilders such as Scaglietti, Vignale, and Figoni & Falaschi.
Every automotive sculpture I create is done entirely by hand with traditional coach building tools. Although I primarily work in .050″ aluminum I also create sculptures in steel and or carbon fiber. It is a tedious, arduous process that can often take over one thousand hours depending on the size and scope. It requires painstaking craftsmanship and meticulous attention to detail. I take great pride in fabricating every single element from scratch. Nothing is store bought or mass produced. This includes every little nuance right down to the custom formed headlights and bezels.
My obsessive attention to detail ensures that each sculpture has the same “uniqueness” of form and presence as the original car. Upon completion, I finish my automotive sculptures in the same premium, OEM paint used by the factory. This color coat is then protected by several layers of the finest automotive clear. After applying the clear coat I spend dozens of hours color sanding, machine polishing and hand buffing. The final result is an unparalleled, mirror like paint surface that will endure the test of time.
I’m sure in your search for automotive sculpture you came across many different options and excellent artists. I am proud to say that unlike many of the others, my automotive sculptures are not easily duplicated. One key item that sets me apart is that every automotive sculpture I create is a bespoke “one-off” tailored to my client’s specifications. I do not create cookie cutter sculptures. I do not create castings for limited editions. I do not create dies so that I can stamp out sculptures in large numbers.
I want each automotive sculpture to be is as individual as its’ collector and the subject matter. I offer a personal guarantee that my sculptures will never be reproduced or duplicated, thereby ensuring their rarity and exclusivity. In a time of mass produced art and high volume reproduction pieces my automotive sculptures are truly original works of art.