Super Swede Ronnie Peterson - Lotus 72E - 1973 Italian Grand Prix, Monza

Watercolour pencils and marker of archival stock, 12"x 6"
© Paul Chenard 2009

This illustration is available for sale.

Swedish Formula 1 driver Ronnie Peterson was one of the few in Formula 1 who was liked and appreciated by all those who met him.

He was quiet, shy and an all-round nice guy. But once in a race car, he drove flat-out, pushing his cars often past their limit.

He started successfully in karts, rose through F3, and F2, and quickly caught the notice of the Formula 1 teams.

He started with March, moved to Lotus, March again, then Tyrrell, than finally back to Lotus. He had a total of 10 Grand Prix wins in eight years, but his life came to an abrupt and sad end in a crash while driving a Lotus 78 in the 1978 Italian Grand Prix.

The impact of the death of this much-loved driver can be seen even today, with countless of tributes set up on websites, and a museum dedicated in his memory in Örebro, Sweden.

Sir Stirling Moss – Grand Prix de Monaco 1961

Prismacolor on archival Canson stock, 12"x 9"
© Paul Chenard 2009

The Grand Prix de Monaco was the inaugural race of the 1961 season, which introduced new 1.5 litre engine rule.

Most teams, except for the Scuderia Ferrari team, were ill-prepared for the new season.

Sir Stirling Moss was racing a 1960 Lotus 18 F1 fielded by privateer team owner Rob Walker. This outdated Lotus was certainly not as sophisticated or as powerful as the Ferraris, but Sir Moss’ virtuoso driving skills more than made up for the disadvantage.

In a very hard fought, tight race, he finished 3.6 secs ahead of American Richie Ginther who drove the new Ferrari 156 “Sharknose”.

In the illustration above, Sir Moss rounds the Station hairpin.

The original sketch is Prismacolor pencils on Canson archival gray stock, 12" x 9". The original is available for $375 CDN (plus taxe).

It is also available as a limited edition of 50 number/signed archival Giclee 14.5"x 11" (image size 12"x 9") prints for $150 plus shipping/handling each.

The Office Series – 1957 Ferrari 250 TR Scaglietti Testa Rosa

Pencil and markers on white archival Canson stock
© Paul Chenard 2009

The Ferrari 250 Testa Rosa is a famous racer that helped propagate the Ferrari legend. The name comes from the Italian words for “red head”, reflecting its 12-cylinder engine’s red-painted cam covers.

The Testa Rosa were produced from 1956 to 1961. They were bodied by various carrozzerias, including Pininfarina and Touring.

Scaglietti created the famous “pontoon” fendered 250TR (Testa Rosas). 22 of these beautiful cars were built in the years 1957–58.

A few years ago, I wanted to create a unique clock, based on the 1957 Testa Rosa dash instruments. I bought a new retro-looking clock, took it apart and repainted the case and hands. I recreated the clock-face using the TR tachometer aesthetics, printed it out and covered the old face. Here is the result, which hangs on the wall of our computer room.








Sports Car Market reports that RM Auctions, in association with Sotheby’s, announced that it will be auctioning off one of these stunning Testa Rosa’s, chassis no. 0714TR, during their May 17, 2009 auction. You can read more about it here.