Description
The Bugatti ‘Tank’ racing car of 1923 was an early attempt at aerodynamics which, although a pioneer, was not a great success. However, its form was applied to the nose of the famous Bugatti railcars. In 1935, strongly influenced by these railcars, Sir Nigel Gresley, Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER), launched his A4 Pacific class. One of these 35 locomotives, the ‘Mallard’, gained the world speed record for steam of 126 miles per hour. The pioneer and the record-breaker are pictured in an imaginary race.
This painting was commissioned as the poster for ‘Retromobile’, the annual international classic car show in Paris, in 2010.
