Burberry Gets a Black Eye by Chavs in the UK.

Some time ago I posted my first Burberry Art Car, but last night I discovered that this was just the tip of the British iceberg. In the UK Chavs is a phenomenon, youths of ill-repute, often football hooligans, who dress in designer brands, and Burberry being the particular brand of choice. According to a BBC article, the Burberry brand became a victim of its own success when Chavs co-opted the brand and now is associated with people who do bad stuff and many even think that Burberry is be worn by the person who mugged them. Fortunately sales of Burberry outside the UK did very well in spite of the "Chav" stigma.

So for your Art Car pleasure I present the most complete line up of Burberry art cars and other Berberry gear associated with the "chav" lifestyle now in full swing in the UK.

Hair Hummer Art Car by Little Willie - Detroit Hair Wars 2010

Photo by Peter Hapack for Time

I run into this picture the other day from an article in Time about the Detroit's annual Hair Wars 2010 where stylists go at it with scissors and hair products creating the most amazing hairs styles in the US. I was interested in this particular piece because it was a car, The "Hair" Hummer Art Car Styled by Little Willie and modeled by Sharv Bailey that took an entire day to create. A while back I posted about some hairy art cars with hair on top of them but never a car made from hair. I even had one from fashion week with a tire rim as a hat.

Tartanmobile Art Car by Megan Kilian

Tartanmobile Art Car by Megan Kilian



The Tartanmobile art car a 86 Toyota Camry was just sent in by Megan Kilian who painted her car based on a family tartan. Here is what Megan had to say.

I had been thinking of painting a car plaid for several years, and had the opportunity when I moved back to San Francisco after several car-less years in Hong Kong and NYC. After studying all kinds of cool patterns, I chose this particular design because it is a Thompson family tartan, and I liked the idea of the pattern referring to my heritage instead of just being chosen randomly.

It began as a solid grey 1986 Toyota Camry that I purchased last October. At the time I bought it, the car had been owned for its entire life by one elderly Ukrainian man in San Francisco ’s Richmond district, who had put only 155,000 miles on it in 22 years, and had taken very good care of it. I’ve had a few minor issues: replaced the radiator and the water pump, but for the most part it has taken good care of me this year. I love that it was built while I was in junior high, and that the tape player still works, so I can play all my cassettes from high school while getting where I need to go.

I teach theatre classes in elementary schools around the Bay Area, and it has been fun to watch my students react to its progress as each layer of plaid was added. Kids love it—I’d like to think I’m triggering something in their brains that tells them they can express themselves creatively and uniquely. I finished the paint job over this summer and can’t wait to see their reactions once I begin teaching again this month!

Cheers, Megan Kilian

Flivver Art Car By Joy Johnston - Joy Hats For Sale

Joy Johnston and her art car, Flivver

Flivver Parked

Flivver's passenger door closeup

Flivver's wheel

Flivver the Art Car is a 1987 Toyota Tercel that Joy Johnston got for free back in 2004. This is her third art car and is out of commission. After October Flivver will rest at East Jesus, Slab City, near Niland, CA where she will be converted to a permanent camper sculpture at Charlie's compound. In addtion to her art car, Joy also loves to create custom crocheted hats of pure joy. During one Art Car Fest event she, along with the bay area art car girls made fleece hats for every one and I still wear mine every day, mmmmm so warm.

The Joy Hat Club


Here is a group shot of some of the members of the Joy Hat Club, wearing their hats of Joy. If you love her hats, they will be available for sale at all Bay Area art car events.

Thong Car from Russia, With Love

This sexy thong art car is brought to with love from Russia and will hopefully be the only risky entry I ever have to deal with. I guess its Russia's version of Fashion Week but I can't imagine the thinking that went into creating this beast. The question that begs to be answered is where on this good earth do you get a thong that big and who would be big enough to wear it. I guess if you buy a bra for the front of the car you can now get a thong for the back of the car. Makes sense to me.

Thong Car from Russia With Love

Car Rim Hat revealed at Paris Fashion Week

Shocking fashion wear made with a car hub cap was made by British fashion designer Alexander McQueen. This hubcap wearing model caught my eye only because of the car rim fashioned into a hat for this pour model who had to balance a ton of aluminum on her head. The article was written by Liz Jones and goes on to describe the rest of the show with many more pictures that I dare not post. I am no fashion writer but to me it looks like the fifth element landed in a scrap yard, which is exactly were it was held at this years Fashion Week in Paris. Why post this on Art Car Central you ask? Its car related and its on the artistic side of the spectrum, therefore it belongs as the wackiest thing thus far. Next year I really would like to see Alex give us something in spinner rims and a sound system. Or maybe cover the model in rubber duckies and barbie dolls. Can you imagine a model wearing hydraulic pumps bouncing down the runway?

Model wearing a car rim hat at Paris Fashion Week

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Burberry Art Car -High Fashion SInce 1856

For those who love Burberry now there is the Burberry Art Car that will go well with all the Burberry clothing, hats, shoes, handbags, handkerchiefs you might own. For those uneducated in this style, Burberry is a British luxury fashion house, manufacturing clothing and fashion accessories founded in 1856 by you guessed it, Thomas Burberry. And by the way that is all the Burberry trivia I can take right now.

Hairy Art Cars by Olaf Mooij

This time Olaf Mooij brings us the complete set of cars with wigs and hairy arm pits, this one looks like a sumo wrestler.