Motoring art: Paul Laguette

By Mick Walsh

| 27 Sep 2024

Classic & Sports Car – Motoring art: Paul Laguette

American publishing has a superb history of dynamic magazine cover illustration, but it’s rare now on automotive titles.

Thankfully, the publisher of Racer and Vintage Motorsport in California continues that tradition through the work of art director Paul Laguette.

Be it Indy 500 legend Bill ‘Vuky’ Vukovich gunning his Kurtis Kraft to victory or an overhead view of Giles Villeneuve powersliding a Ferrari 126C, Paul’s vivid artwork dramatically brings these iconic machines to life for the bookstall.

Bill Vukovich in his Kurtis Kraft 500A Offenhauser

This multi-talented art director can turn his hand to graphic design, cutaways or print layouts, but illustration has long been his real passion.

Paul’s commissions have also included programme covers for iconic races, topped by those for the 2014 Indy 500 and Formula One Grands Prix.

Paul has enjoyed drawing from an early age, particularly racing cars.

The Gordon Coppuck-designed McLaren M16C/D powered Johnny Rutherford to victory in the 1974 Indy 500 – the first of his three Brickyard wins

“I remember a parent-teacher meeting at school, when a half-finished maths test was revealed with a race-car sketch on the back,” he says.

“A neighbour was into go-karts and in his garage he had Porsche posters, including a large image of Mark Donohue.

“The movie Grand Prix and the artwork in Road & Track were both inspirations, and when I made my first trip to Europe in 1972, I filled my bags with a bunch of models.”

1983 BMW-powered BT52 Brabham, driven by Nelson Piquet

The late 1960s and early ’70s are Paul’s cherished eras. “Stewart and Ickx were my favourite two drivers,” he says.

“Cars such as the Lotus 49 and 72 had a purity that showcased a racer’s talent. Today, driver and car seem too disparate.”

Growing up, Paul’s local circuit was Riverside, where he enjoyed watching sports-car endurance races in the early ’80s.

“The drivers were really accessible,” he recalls. “Derek Bell or Rolf Stommelen would walk by without anyone making a fuss.

“The only downside to Riverside was the dust, which played hell with cameras.”

The Group C Porsche 962 in IMSA GTP Al Holbert Racing Löwenbräu livery

Rather than traditional media, Paul now uses raster graphics app Procreate for sketching out ideas to show editors, but he often switches to Adobe Illustrator for the final artwork.

As well as his magazine illustrations and varied design work, Paul loves creating his own storyboards of favourite movie-car chases.

So far, these fun homages have included THX 1138, Grand Prix and Bullitt.

Paul’s garage doubles as his studio, where he is surrounded by inspirational material including his 1961 Cadillac and a BMW 2002.

Gilles Villeneuve’s Ferrari sideways in the rain

Both were bought long ago and restored.

“I’m passionate about driving and working on them,” he says.

“My wife, Paula, and I were great fans of the Mad Men series, and when the plate ‘D DRAPER’ came up we had to have it, even though Don’s Cadillac was a 1962 two-door model.

“The BMW was a non-running $300 find, and after a complete restoration it’s been a super-reliable daily driver.”

Jackie Stewart, depicted here driving his Matra MS80, is one of Paul Laguette’s favourite drivers

The workspace walls in Paul’s studio-cum-garage feature vintage film posters including Bullitt, The Killers, Ocean’s Eleven and Grand Prix, together with a huge portrait of Serge Gainsbourg and BMW models: “Living so close to Hollywood, it seemed only right to acknowledge the local history.

“But when I’m working I listen to The Clash cranked up to 11.”

Prints are available from The Racer Store

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