1927 Spirit T Roadster Light Painting
Today, I’d like to share Brian’s second artwork, a stunning 1927 Spirit T Roadster light painting. Due to the rainy forecast for that night, we light painted the Roadster right after we light painted his 2017 Corvette Grand Sport. (You can check out that Corvette’s cool light painting by clicking on this link.)
To speed up the light painting process, in the event that it did start to rain, I did not move the camera after completing the Corvette’s light painting. That way, we did not have to light paint the house and landscaping all over again, just the Roadster and the areas right around the car. It worked out perfectly!
Brian’s finished artwork!
More About the 1927 Spirit T Roadster
The Roadster was built from the ground up by Brian with the help of a few friends that just happen to be some of the top people in the country at what they do. The amazing paint job was from Dan LaBonte of Gel Pro. The cool motor work was from Jim Watson of Watson Marine. And then there was lots of help from Brian’s brother Greg Newlun!
Brian’s 1927 Spirit T Roadster, body, and frame, are primed and ready for the next steps.
The car is based on a Ford 1927 Model T Roadster and is considered a “replica” by Missouri’s registration standards. As you’ll see in many movies, TV Shows, etc, there have been some major liberties taken off the original car standards. Brian ordered the “kit” through Spirit Industries in Flippin, Arkansas, and constructed it in Camdenton, MO. Spirit has different levels of kits you can order, anything from raw parts and steel, to a total turnkey car. Brian purchased it with the chassis completed, including welded frame, suspension and brakes mounted, raw/fiberglass body, and interior kit. All other parts and fabrication were supplied by Brian to complete the build.
This is a Spirit 1927 Model T Roadster deluxe kit with a General Motors 350cu/390 hp motor with a General Motors TH350 automatic transmission. More on that motor in a bit.
Brian’s Roadster is all primed and ready.
It Was Definitely Worth the Wait
It was a 2-year process from ordering the kit to Brian’s first event. He planned on showing the car at World of Wheels in Kansas City in the spring of 2023. And he did just that! He won awards for both the car and his display too! The backdrop for the display was created using the light painting I did a few year’s ago at Gregg’s amazing vintage gas station in Carver, Minnesota.
Brian’s cool 1927 Spirit T Roadster (with my vintage gas station light painting as a backdrop) at World of Wheels 2023 in Kansas City.
Though the phrase “kit” applies to how it was ordered, it was as far from building with Legos as you can get! Brian says that it was a lot of fun building the Roadster and the satisfaction of pride and completion of the project cannot be explained in words alone. You can tell when you talk to Brain about the car that he really did love the building process (most of the time).
Got Chrome?
When I saw Brian’s Roadster project, all I could think about was light painting that engine! I mean, first of all, there’s nothing blocking the view. And then there’s the obvious. Could there be any more chrome to light paint? I think not.
So, the morning after the car’s light painting we drove to Brian’s storage facility to check it out for an engine-only light painting. It was safely tucked into its storage trailer, so rather than have Brian unload it, I decided to try and light paint it right inside of the trailer. Why not? It was dark in there, so I had total control of the lighting. The biggest obstacle was the tight quarters in there. No problem.
I ended up with two different versions of the General Motors 350cu/390 hp motor. I can’t decide which is my favorite, so I’m going to share both of them with you. Could there be any more chrome?!
Pretty sweet!
Got chrome?
Light Painting a 1927 Spirit T Roadster – The Movie
I’ve put together a short “build” movie that showcases the images I used to create the light painting and some of the steps in creating the finished artwork. It’s only about a minute long, even though the whole project is more like 16 hours! Below is that movie for Brian’s 1927 Spirit T Roadster light painting. Thank you for reading our post and have a great day! – M&J