Snap of the Day 22: Sparks.

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Art of Camilo Pardo: Ford GT Designer, Painter, Detroiter.

Every so often an artist comes along and radically changes perception. Our perception of color, our approach to technique and form, even our view and acceptance of a once booming metropolis and the company from which it was birthed.

Born in New York City during the sixties, Camilo Pardo was destined to create. His mother, a painter, frequently took him into the heart of Manhattan to visit the Modern Museum of Art and Metropolitan Museum of Art, both of which deeply immersed young Pardo in the fundamentals of art and design.

During his formative years, Pardo’s mother moved him to suburban Detroit. A move that would foster his immense love for cars. His room, like most boys, was covered by posters of sports and racing cars while die-cast model cars littered every other conceivable surface—his favorite being a Johnny Lightning Porsche slot car swathed in the infamous Gulf Racing blue and orange. It was an affection which would play out in a big way later in his life.

Living near Detroit, growing up with art, and playing with Motown classics like the Barracuda, Roadrunner, and Challenger, it’s no real surprise that Pardo developed an affinity for automotive design. Graduating from Detroit’s Center for Creative Studies (now College for Creative Studies, my alma mater) in 1985 with a degree in Industrial Design, he was snatched up quick by the Dearborn-based Ford Motor Company.

Shortly after being hired, Pardo moved into the famed Bankle Building on Woodward Avenue, and set up his personal studio in which he painted, sketched, and designed while eventually working his way up to Chief Designer of Ford’s Living Legends Studio.

In 2001, Pardo was given the green light of a lifetime—to begin work on a modern revival of the storied Ford GT40. Revealed in 2002 as a concept, the Ford GT was later approved for limited production (4,308 units over five years) and helped serve as Ford’s brand ambassador during some very troubled times.

The work you see interspersed with the above words is Pardo’s personal work. You’ll see some GT, some Mustang, some Formula One, and all stylistic attitude. But one thing holds true throughout: Pardo is a true artistic visionary. Some have even suggested him as the Andy Warhol of automotive art and design. Having seen his work up close and been to more than a few of his Designer’s Night parties, I can attest to some of the monumental conclusions being drawn. Only time will tell.

All works © Camilo Pardo

The whole family.

From front center to rear:

• 1992-1998 F1
• 1995 F1 GTR
• 1996 F1 GTR
• 1995 F1 LM (1 of 5) Le Mans Special in Bruce McLaren’s Papaya Orange
• 1997 F1 GT “long tail” Homologation Special (1 of 2 + XPGT prototype)
• 1997 F1 GTR “long tail” race car

Other Mclarens >

Ferrari Racing: Sixty Years in the Making.

Benson.