“Gulf 917”

“Hommage to one of the most astonishing race cars of all the times, I depicted this Porsche 917K in the livery that gave her not only fame but glory. This car is to me a perfect example of design that follows function: disappointing and different at the beginning, during some tests the car’s tail was severed in the pits and patched up with aluminium sheets taped together: the 917K (K stands for Kurzheck, short) was born. I enjoyed playing with the colours of the livery and I made them splatter on the canvas simulating the aerodynamic car’s wake, like a kind of “racing scent” diffusing along the painting. The overall effect is a bold contrast between the car’s body precise shape and the random violent splatters, cold light blue and warm orange. This is the artwork I’m most proud of…”

Author Biography:

Alessandro Salvagnin, born in Milan in 1976, is currently a senior designer in Lamborghini. After a full degree on Aerospace Engineering at Politecnico di Milano, he decided to pursue an other great interest, car design: he got a Master Degree in Milan at Scuola Politecnica in 2005. During this period he met Filippo Perini, currently head of Design of Lamborghini, who wanted him part of his small team. Of all the projects he was involved on, Aventador and Sesto Elemento are the milstones of his career.