Car Memorabilia - A Nice Surprise at a Reasonable Price

Everyone has a friend or family member on their list that is impossible to shop for. This person generally expresses no desire for a particular gift, or in some cases they have such a unique interest that you don’t even know where to begin.

At l’art et l’automobile, we are famous for our Big Boy Toys, like classic car posters, car models, vintage car paintings, prints and drawings. These vintage automobile items are available at a price almost anyone can afford.

Our Model cars that are life like miniatures of the classics that inspired them. Timeless vehicles like the 1903 Fiat Touring Car, 1950 BMW 500cc Twin model by John Lucas and the  Ferrari 640 F1 model by MG are just a few of the models to choose from.

Customers can browse our website, www.arteauto.com, and choose from all sorts of replica items, classic toys, retro watches, memorabilia and much more.

We boast a selection of Auto Signs, Rally Plaques and Automotive banners including a 1953 Nash Ambassador Airflyte dealer showroom banner, a 9th Annual Ironstone Concours d’ Elegance-2007 official event large vinyl banner by Roy E. Dryer III and 1959 FIM Scarborough Rally pennant and much more.

There is a complete line of nostalgic gifts including anything from an Andy Green montage, featuring his original autograph to a Marlboro Racing School helmet by Bieffe, signed by Rick Mears.

If there’s one gift you can’t go wrong with, Gift Certificate. Let them choose their own gift when you surprise them with a shopping spree at www.arteauto.com.

Give the gift of knowledge with an informative and entertaining vintage automobile book that your loved one will actually want to read, like Jensen Service Bulletins, Vol. 1 book, edited by Richard Calver or The T-Series MG book edited by Richard L. Knudson, 1975, 2nd ed.

If you are shopping for an automobile memorabilia collector or a classic car enthusiast this holiday season, start by visiting our website (www.arteauto.com) for these and many more collectable items. You are likely to find a nice surprise at a reasonable price.

l’art et l’automobile’s online auction is now open for viewing, registering & bidding ending December 11^th. We have 341 lots of auto memorabilia available, including; Books, Magazines, Programs, Factory publications, Lithographs, Prints, Photograph, serigraphs, Giclees, Blueprints (some autographed), Drawings, Paintings, Posters, Nameplate, Coachbuilder plates, Badges, Pin, St. Christopher medals, Enzo Ferrari autograph, Albums, Watches, Racing suit,  Mascots, Sculptures, Models & Toys. Visit our auction site at www.arteautoauction.com.

Upcoming auction dates

Auto Enthusiast Christmas Gifts

If you’re looking for that perfect Christmas gift for your Auto Enthusiast, then look no further! We have listed 10 of the Best Auto Memorabilia Holiday Gifts available.

1. Vintage Car Poster

Choose from vintage automotive posters from the 1890's to the present. Browse our huge collection of 24 hours of Le Mans and Monaco Grand Prix Posters and every other racing event, even posters from the amazing modern day poster artist Razzia, including his famous Louis Vuitton posters.

2. Vintage Hood Ornaments

Looking for a Vintage Hood Ornament? Surprise your Auto Enthusiast by visiting arteauto.com where you will find a 1920’s Masonic Logo hood ornament, a Windermere Motor Boat Racing Club hood ornament and a 1954 Chevrolet hood ornament, all reasonably priced and ready to be wrapped up and put under the tree.

3. Car Models

Whether you're shopping for the ultimate scratch built automobile model, or looking for a unique toy for a special grown-up child, at arteauto.com you can buy many hard to find car models like the 1982 Ferrari 126C2 hand-built model, 1/24th scale by Jeff Alderman, or a Packard by American National pressed steel toy car.

4. Automotive Paintings

Check out some of the amazing automobile artwork from some of the best artists from around the world available at arteauto.com including Geo Ham, Carlo Demand, Ken Dallison, Peter Hearsey, and Alain Levesque, among others. From the rare and vintage to the modern, we can suit all your holiday needs in fine automotive paintings and drawings from many motor racing scenes, touring or automotive studio renderings.

5. Auto Signs, Rally Plaques and Automotive Banners

Choose from multicolored modern wooden signs to an actual Royal Auto Club (RAC) large original fabric two-sided flag/banner or early 1970’s Michelin ZX original lithographed tin sign, at arteauto.com you'll find the most unique hard-to-find auto signs, banners or even a Bulova display sign/clock.

6. Classic Automobile Badges, Automotive Pins and Racing Medallions

Trying to find a rare Monte Carlo participant's badge? Or maybe you're looking for the perfect St. Christopher medallion. At arteauto.com we have a huge selection of to suit every need, including a great selection of British Motorcycle clubs badges.

7. Literature, Programs and Magazines

We have the hard to find, classic automotive literature you've been looking for. Whether it is an Indianapolis 500 official event program, a 1926 Locomobile Model 90 prestige catalog or a collection of Rolls-Royce Enthusiast's Club Publications, at arteauto.com you can find that unique piece of literature, race program, catalog or magazine for the ultimate automotive collector.

8. Automobile Prints

We have an amazing collection of automobile prints from a fantastic selection of artists at www.arteauto.com. Alain Levesque, Ernest Montaut, Francois Bruere, Geo Ham, Alain Mirgalet, Nicholas Watts and LeRoy Neiman are just a few of our featured artists.

9. Classic Car Automobilia

From a Tribute to Ayrton Senna sterling silver fountain pen set by Montegrappa to a Porsche 959 Paris-Dakar race car nose grill or Borrani aluminum front wire wheel for Ferrari 250 GTO Series II, at arteauto.com you can find that unique collectible gift for your special automotive enthusiast.

10. Gift Certificate

Getting ready for the Holidays? Don’t know what to get your Auto Enthusiast? Let them browse www.arteauto.com and choose from 1000’s of Vintage Auto Collectibles. What better way to say “Merry Christmas!” Gift Certificates make great stocking stuffers too and come in increments from $25 and up.

Gearing Up!

Auto Memorabilia Enthusiast Jacques Vaucher

The history of cars and vintage car memorabilia has always captivated Jacques Vaucher, a Frenchman who began collecting vintage auto art in 1973. His Vintage Auto Collectibles now listed and sold at www.arteauto.com, include car posters, model cars, antique hood ornaments, badges, pins, medallions, books, auto programs, car magazines, sculptures, signs, banners, plaques, photographs, car posters, prints and paintings make up one of the largest collections of auto memorabilia in the world. l’art et l’automobile is where you will find Jacques’s featured artists like Razzia displayed in his vast gallery at www.arteauto.com. In an age when most poster art is computer generated, Razzia is one of the world’s only modern day poster "artists". During the Golden Age of posters, before television and certainly computers, advertisers employed the best artists they could find to make interesting and unique renderings of the product they wished to sell or advertise in order to impact the market and stand out from their competitors with a strong image. In most cases the artist would produce a painting which when approved would be lithographed with the appropriate text. Razzia still conceives his posters from an original painting, a technique not common in this day and age. He began his incredible artwork in the 1980’s, and the legacy continues to this day. Razzia’s biggest client is Louis Vuitton that commissioned him for all the special events they sponsor around the world including the Louis Vuitton Cup sailing competition and numerous Concours d’Elegance of automobile. Other clients for which he has worked include Stetson Hats (their 2000-2001 advertising campaign), Lancia Automobiles, L’Oreal, International Prêt à Porter Feminin (France), Bloomingdales, Macy’s, Harrod’s, the Nice Jazz Festival, the City of Deauville, several brand name Champagnes and several restaurants in Paris and New York. Collectors around the world include Elton John, Jackie Collins, and Michael Caine. For more information on current posters available by Razzia visit www.arteauto.com. You will also find classic automobile badges, automotive pins, and racing medallions in Jacques’s gallery and if you are trying to find a rare Monte Carlo participant's badge or the perfect St. Christopher medallion, l’art et l’automobile at www.arteauto.com has huge selection of radiator and grille badges, lapel pins and medallions to suit every need, including a great selection of British Motorcycle clubs badges. Jacques has searched high and low for those hard to find, classic auto racing trophies so you don't have to. l’art et l’automobile, located at www.arteauto.com,is where you will discover a unique selection of auto racing trophies from an 1908 Clement/Talbot Trophy Board, and trophies won by racers such as E.D. Martin and Richie Ginther . If you’re searching for that perfect one-of-a-kind gift for your Motorcycle or Bicycle Enthusiast, l’art et l’automobile located at www. arteauto.com, you will find rare vintage bicycle head badge collections, a late 20's lithograph of The Motorcycle Racers by Geo Ham, dozens of rare vintage motorbike club badges, plus vintage racing posters, and even a Peter Fonda autographed Harold Cleworth, Easy Rider, Together Again original painting. Jacques Vaucher continues to add to his rare, vast and unique collection, searching the world over for the most hard-to-find auto memorabilia items to display and share at l’art et l’automobile located on www.arteauto.com.

Why Collect Vintage Car Posters & Prints?

What makes vintage car prints, paintings and other car artwork extraordinary? Any collector of these has his or her own reasons why he or she instigated their collection, and there are as many explanations for collecting as there are topics illustrated. There are, nevertheless, some overall characteristics of vintage car prints and artwork which make them particularly wonderful for collecting. First of all, vintage car prints cover a vast variety of themes, from make of the car to designer of the print, such as Louis Vuitton Classic’s by Razzia and Alain Levesque Paintings’, posters and prints. These prints come in a vast selection of artistic styles, sizes, and cost. There is, then, a type of vintage print that should charm and be available for almost anyone. Louis Vuitton Classic’s Prints by Razzia can be found at l’art et l’automobile and on EBay, and Alain Levesque Paintings’, posters and prints can be found at l’art et l’automobile for sale. However, the most distinctive characteristic of Vintage car prints is their character and content. Vintage car prints provide us with an unswerving link back in time. As most historical car prints depict subjects concurrent with their publication, they depict these topics not as contemporary historians portray them, but from the vantage point of modern onlookers. A glorifying image of the first Model T, a magnificent example of a Rolls Royce, a roaring depicted Ford Lotus, all express the attitudes and understanding of the printmakers and buyers of their day, giving us a privileged look at the automobile world through the eyes of the past. While providing modern viewers with a window to the past, antique car prints were also an integral part of their own time. Car Prints, with their numerous copies, usually had considerably more influence in their day than did concurrent drawings and paintings, all of which are exclusive pictures. Only a restricted number of spectators could see a particular painting or drawing, whereas most historical car prints were distributed broadly to the general public. Indeed, broad distribution was often the intent of these prints. Like books, they would have had noteworthy influence on their time. Some examples of this influence are clear –advertising a new car model or opening a new dealership, but all historical car prints were significant in the overall social, political, and intellectual fabric of their time.