Let's face it, the first generation of North America's favorite pony has forever been considered a work of art on wheels. To celebrate 50 years since the model went into production, UK-based artist Robin Bark has been licensed by the Blue Oval to turn the Mustang into a limited edition collectible sculpture.
Only 500 sculptures of the 1965 Ford Mustang fastback will be made, with each piece signed and serialized by the artist. Measuring 10 inches (18 centimeters) and weighing more than a kilogram (2.4 pounds), the pieces are sand cast in marine grade aluminum and eventually hand polished in an East Sussex-based studio by traditional craftsmen.
Presented in a commemorative wooden box, these hand polished solid aluminum sculptures reveal the quintessential Mustang profile, including the shark-bite nose and sweeping fastback roof line, capturing the essential visual identity of one of the greatest cars ever made. But creating an object of art that appears to be fluid motion isn't as easy as you might think.
Starting by analyzing numerous photographs of the vehicle, Bark translated the shape of the Mustang into rough engineering drawings. “Mustang is a very different shape from the earlier cars I had done, which were more classically streamlined,” he said.
The fundamental shape of the car was initially modeled in clay, then transferred into a resin version. As a pattern to casting the aluminum piece, the resin model also showed the artist how the light reflects off the contours. “I tried to reveal its story as it reflects in the light,” Bark explained.
After finishing details are made, the resin model is sent to a specialist casting pattern maker. A traditional foundry produces the raw aluminum castings in batches of 10 at a time. As for the final phase of the production process, each casting is polished to a finished piece.
Presented in a commemorative wooden box, these hand polished solid aluminum sculptures reveal the quintessential Mustang profile, including the shark-bite nose and sweeping fastback roof line, capturing the essential visual identity of one of the greatest cars ever made. But creating an object of art that appears to be fluid motion isn't as easy as you might think.
Starting by analyzing numerous photographs of the vehicle, Bark translated the shape of the Mustang into rough engineering drawings. “Mustang is a very different shape from the earlier cars I had done, which were more classically streamlined,” he said.
The fundamental shape of the car was initially modeled in clay, then transferred into a resin version. As a pattern to casting the aluminum piece, the resin model also showed the artist how the light reflects off the contours. “I tried to reveal its story as it reflects in the light,” Bark explained.
After finishing details are made, the resin model is sent to a specialist casting pattern maker. A traditional foundry produces the raw aluminum castings in batches of 10 at a time. As for the final phase of the production process, each casting is polished to a finished piece.