Ghost Art Car Driving through Town

Parked Ghost Art Car - Art Car Central

There was a public art project on Tour in Basel by Austrian artist and designer Manfred Kielnhofer called  “Light Guards”, a project that included a ghost art car driving around town last June.

This Ghost Art Car is a large white van with hooded figures sitting on the roof, driving outside the fair, and the Bleifrei (which translates to Lead Free in German).  Manfred Kielnhofer said “Art is like Jesus; it died and it’s coming again.” Thanks Manfred, for submitting to art car central.

Parked Ghost Art Car - Art Car Central

Parked Ghost Art Car - Art Car Central

Here is some of his other art

VW Art Car Tent For Sale - Get your Camping on!!!

Get ready for this years camping trip with a super 65 VW Camper Tent Art Car on sale at Firebox.com. Its an Officially licensed, four-person tent, full-size replica of the iconic 1965 VW Camper Van that will be sure to turn heads when you set it up. It comes in Red, Yellow and Blue but who says you have to settle, so go ahead and turn into an Art Car Tent.

LOOK!!! Elvis Art Vans - Mobile Elvis Chappel Comming to a Town Near You

Too busy to go to Graceland this year on a pilgrimage to go see Elvis? No worries because the Elvis Traveling Museum Art Van may be the answer to all your troubles.

JoDavid a Seattle-based fine artist has been transforming his 2001 VW camper van into the Elvis Mobile. Its a traveling homage to the King complete with murals painted on magnets and nice looking mini museum in the trunk. It was a project started as a labor of love for his wife Marlow Harris, an avid Elvis fan and occasional Priscilla Presley impersonator.
 
So the question begs to be asked, will there be any weddings performed at the Elvis mobile and the answer is maybe. So far there has only been one recorded wedding and that was performed by ordained minister and friend Extremo the Clown who happened to be around during last years art show at the Fremont Fair in Seatle.

If Jo David or his wife ever become ordained ministers there will be a lot of happy couples who would love to be married by Elvis in a town near them.

In case the wedding load get to heavy for them, there are plenty of other Elvis mobiles around the country and even Australia that could possible work as alternative wedding locations for the happy couples.

Elvis Art Van - 2009 Athfest Art Car – Photo credit Jim Diffly

Elvis Art Van Oceania Australia - Via

Follow me I'm Elvis Art Van Via

The Strange Story of the Vanny Van Art Car

The internet is a strange place and sometimes interesting people email me with interesting art car submissions. The Vanny Van is one of those art cars that was submitted to me covered in hand written notes and stickers put on by all kinds of people along the way.

The Story of Vanny Van
Year one
I was born in some kind of car baby making factory called Dodge. It was 1999 and I was a BIG baby. They named me Ram, which was good because at my first Dealership School I was scared. The ride there was great! We didn’t even have to walk at all. A big, long, huge truck carried me and a few others to our new school. We were all excited. I got to ride on the top which was AWESOME!! So many different cars and people would drive past us. I smiled and waved at all of them.
When we got there I met so many kinds of cars, new and old. The old ones would teach us about patience and how you can tell what families are good families and the bad ones that won’t take good care of you. The Rusty Ones, as we kids called them, would tell us of their great adventures around the United States. How some have had many different families and how they have waited a long time at Dealership School to have new ones. They passed their time with their teachings. As the days would go by, me and my friends would meet new and learn about all kinds of people. Many of my friends would get new families and be off in their new lives. My first year I waited.

Vanadu Ford - Post Apocalypse Gothic Hunter Camper

I am not sure which category to put this Ford Van called "Vanadu" in, but its definitely Post Apocalypse Gothic Hunter Camper.

You start with the fencing up on the roof with a broken spire that looks like a grave site. And various decorative flourishes scattered around to give it the Gothic retro look.

You continue with various car parts welded together, fins, grill, lights, vases, horns, chimneys, lamps, and bars over the windows to give it the "I just survived an atomic blast" apocalypse look.

You then move to the rustic hunter elements with large moose antlers on the roof, mounted fish and deer antlers on the inside. I think I saw an old pistol hanging there to round out the hunter "I am going to get those mutants" motif.

All this wrapped up in a ford Econoline camper that looks like it has some empty spaces to be completed at a later time. I contacted this person for more info but did not get word back, so I made up my own story. Don't get me wrong, this art van rocks and I am sure its very cozy in a Post Apocalyptic Gothic Hunter way.

Nancy Reagan Art Car Billboard

uploaded by ehoyer.

Here is an art car with a giant photo of Nancy Reagan on a van totally protected from towing, wheel booting and vandalism. Its in San Francisco so I guess it needs all that, but I am not sure the purpose of it all.

Cowabunga Dude makes The Ninja Turtle Van

Here is a restored 1994 Dodge Caravan and made to look like the The Ninja Turtle Van. The Ninja Turtles had a vw but this guy choose a Caravan because it was easy to find parts easy to work on, comfortable for him to drive.

The Turtles played a huge role in his childhood, growing up with all his cousins, playing Ninja Turtles while his Uncle Harry (Uncle Shredder) chased them around doing an exact voice of The Shredder. He used to drive them around in his Caravan, and now every time he sees one it reminds him of the Turtles Van. Cowabunga Dude!!!.

Art Car Book by Harrod Blank - A must have for your coffee table

What got me started in the journey with my own art car the Mercedes Pens and now with Art Car Central was a book called "Art Cars: the cars, the artists, the obsession, the craft" by Harrod Blank.I walked into the library one day and was browsing the car section when I came upon the most amazing book I had seen in a long time. In it was filled with images of people who had decorated their cars with paint, glued objects, car modifications and everything in between. Many of those cars have since been featured on Art Car Central like the Fruit Mobile, Hoop Car, Camera Van, The Phone Car, The Button King, Glass Quilt, and many more from Harrods Blanks Art Car Agency.

If you have ever seen an art car around town and wondered why would someone do that to their car. Or where curious about the type of person who would drive an art car, then this book is definitely for you. I now have my own copy and it never gets old. You never now, you might end up making your own art car and one day it could end featured here on Art Car Central, I look forward to your art car submission.

Bike Fro Art Car

This is what I call a Bike Fro art car, complete set of hair made entirely out of bicycles mounted to the outside of this ford van.

Oliver von Feistmantl on Art Cars

Le Baron Convetible Art Car

Racebus Art Car


Oliver von Feistmantl is a comic PoP artist from Vienna Austria that paints on pretty much everything, like houses, ships, snowboards, skateboards and even cars.
He started out as a graffiti artist in the 90´s but got arrested, so he decided to concentrate on legal ways to exhibit throughout Europe, Asia, the Caribbeans and NYC.

He makes acrylic paintings and sculptures in all sizes and in 2008 started to paint on a fishing boat in Thailand and in 2009 started to paint on cars.

The 1974 VW-Bus is called the racebus, because he got an engine from a Porsche 911 and was finished in October 2009. The 93 Chrysler Le Baron convertible was finished in 2010 and is the one he currently drives.

He hopes one day to come across a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow because its his personal dream to one day paint that car as well.

Easy A Team Art Car Project

The new A Team movie is coming out in June and with it will follow another wave of home made A Team vans. What's great about this particular art car project is that its easy to make and all you need is a black vehicle to start with. The only painting you have to do is the red stripe down the side and all you have to worry about is getting the angle right at the elbow, easy peasy.








Here is the original A Team intro video to get you psyched

Dangerous Duct Tape Van on the Loose

Dangerous Duct Tape Van on the Loose


I was sent this duct tape art van the other day from my friend mark, an engineer with a duct tape talent and here is what he said;

I am an art car artist and went to the westfest and Seattle Artcar Blowout several times. The duck tape van was created because of inspiring friends in Eugene, Oregon. These early forrays into art have opened new doors for me and enriched my life. As an engineer, duck tape was always there but never appreciated. Discovering the wacky, wonderful world of art cars released my spirit and let me fly.

Thanks Mark and while I was at it I found a few more duct tape van jobs created by folks gifted in other areas.

Window Repair Duct Tape Van Job


Rust Repair Duct Tape Van Job


False Advertising Duct Tape Van Job