Photos/Art The cars that Senna drove

Andrew Kitson · 5 Nov 2002, 13:39 (Ref:422159)

Here is a painting I did for a gallery in Suzuka. It is 45 x 35 ins and shows the main cars from Ayrton's career starting with the FF Van Diemen in 1981 to the '94 Williams. The portrait is of AS in 1991.
The Senna Foundation and family approved the painting which was printed as a Limited Edition specifically for the Japanese market.
It can also be seen on my website www.andrewkitson.com
Hope you like this one and any comments would be appreciated.

Jordi · 5 Nov 2002, 18:07 (Ref:422336)

Oh, I think you missed the F1 cars he tested before entering F1, Williams, Brabham, McLaren and Toleman, all from 1983! LOL, just joking.

It's a great painting, just like all of your paintings!

Andrew Kitson · 5 Nov 2002, 18:15 (Ref:422342)

Thanks Jordi! The Donington Williams is there - the first F1 car he drove, I just didn't think there was much point showing all of the F1 cars he tested. Infact, I have not shown his very first FF car either. It was a white Van Diemen RF80 used for one race only in March '81. Nor did I show the celebrity Shellsport Talbot Sunbeam that he won with at Oulton in '82. I had to be selective due to space.

**Aysedasi** · 5 Nov 2002, 20:44 (Ref:422468)

Andrew, I fear the mouth is watering again.

Are there any prints available of that painting?

Andrew Kitson · 5 Nov 2002, 21:10 (Ref:422483)

Aysedasi, thanks. Check out my website.

**Aysedasi** · 5 Nov 2002, 21:50 (Ref:422508)

Thanks Andrew. I fear the Senna print is out of my wallet's reach at the moment. I like your similar Hill montage. I've got quite a few photos lying around of a number of those cars.

Jordi · 6 Nov 2002, 21:48 (Ref:423308)

I also saw the Hill one, awesome job too.

Andrew, have you thought on doing a painting of all of Mario Andretti's cars? That would use much more room than the Guernica!

Andrew Kitson · 6 Nov 2002, 23:02 (Ref:423361)

Mario? Now that would be very interesting but choosing which cars to include / leave out would be a nightmare!
Probably the greatest all-rounder race driver of all time.
USAC, NASCAR, F1, CART, F5000, CanAm, Gp.5 Sports prototypes, Le Mans..etc..etc

Jordi · 8 Nov 2002, 18:14 (Ref:424758)

and probably the most complete racer ever... (and one that lived to tell after 5 decades of racing)

Sato san · 8 Nov 2002, 23:21 (Ref:424887)

not sure you could find a canvas big enough to paint all of Mario's cars on Andrew !

superb Painting as usual .

I noticed they had a print of your Brian Jones painting hanging up in the Kentagon the other week when i was in there , stood there looking at it for so long , i forgot what i was going to order to eat !

Andrew Kitson · 9 Nov 2002, 09:10 (Ref:425015)

Good job it is not hanging at the other end of the food counter by the bar...you might have forgotten what you were going to drink!

AllonFS · 15 Nov 2002, 08:59 (Ref:429016)

I noticed the Joest 956 Porsche in this print. Does anyone have more information on this, I didn't realise that Senna had ever driven in sportscars. Was it just a one-off, and did he have any success?

Andrew Kitson · 15 Nov 2002, 09:09 (Ref:429017)

AllonFS, Ayrton drove this car in the World Sportscar Championship round 4 at the Nürburgring 0n 15 July 1984. It was the only occasion that he competitively drove a sportscar. He partnered Stefan Johansson and Henri Pescarolo in this Joest Porsche 956.
According to folklore, Johansson and Pescarolo were quicker in qualifying, being well accustomed to the car. Senna went out in the wet, did one lap and came back in asking what all the dashboard dials meant!
He impressed Reinhold Joest with his car control but in the wet race the car had problems including water in the electrics, eventually finishing 12th. The drive came about because Senna mentioned to a friend that he would like to try a Group C car, this friend knew Joest and arranged it.

DNQ · 15 Nov 2002, 10:48 (Ref:429056)

There is a thread about Senna in the 965 on the Atlas F1 Nostalgia forum right now actually.

Nice painting Andrew, I saw your name in Murray Walkers book today, just finished reading it, great to be recognised by the great man i'll bet

Heebeegeetee · 22 Nov 2002, 00:38 (Ref:434378)

Then there were those rally cars, that he drove for that article in triple C magazine, all those years ago. In fact, I remember reading an article on the tuned Mk2 Golf that the mag ran for a while. When they were moving it on to pastures new, the journos were invited to write about their memorable moments with the car. One recalled how Senna had followed them to South Wales, for the rally car story. Senna was in a big Merc. This guy described how he wpould chuck the Golf into a corner, only to look in his mirror to see this huge Merc. limo also exiting the corner, completely sideways, with a grinning Senna at the wheel thinking "you guys ain't even getting close."

Andrew Kitson · 22 Nov 2002, 07:36 (Ref:434454)

There is another story when Senna was racing at Donington in FF2000 in 1982. His flat mate and great friend Mauricio Gugelmin was racing at Snetterton the same day in FF1600. Once Senna had won his race, he said to Dennis Rushen and his mechanic Spider, 'come on guys , lets go and watch Mo winning at Snetterton'.
'Are you crazy?' they said. It was 90mins before the race at Snett was due to start. The journey was usually 2 and half hours. Off they set with Senna driving the VW Golf. They made it of course with time to spare but it was said by Ayrton's passengers that they then knew exactly how skilled he was, that he had absolute total confidence in his abilities, knowing that nothing was going to come the other way when overtaking on a blind bend or when taking roundabouts 'flat'.

Sato san · 23 Nov 2002, 10:08 (Ref:435181)

ive heard that story.....trully frightning !...but Senna knew what he could do.

Jordi · 23 Nov 2002, 12:33 (Ref:435242)

Would have been nice to see both Senna and Gilles in street cars!

ASCII Man · 23 Nov 2002, 13:32 (Ref:435272)

I'm sorry that i'll have to say this...
But the guy looks more like Bandini than Senna...

very nice painting though.

Sato san · 23 Nov 2002, 18:32 (Ref:435387)

i dont think so , but everyone to their own i suppose .

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