Out Of The Dark is the new title of the Spies Hecker 2019 calendar. The twelve striking images all play on light and shadow. They were created by the Dutch photographic studio van der Vaart together with photographers from five countries and showcase exceptional painting and restoration work, all shot in the bodyshops in which they were restored.
The 1997 Ford Mustang Dragster, painted by the IDENTICA paint shop Max zu Eltz from Fensterbach, Germany, is as impressive as it is iconic. Its owner, Florian Uebel, regularly takes part in drag races as the converted, ethanol-powered Mustang boasts 2,000 horsepower. It covers a quarter mile in under nine seconds. The imposing skull on the bonnet is thanks to an airbrush artist.
Artful custom painting
Seven hundred and fifty working hours and 70kgs of clear coat - the Audi S4 with the extraordinary paintwork took a lot of work and material. The car was repainted with new designs three times in one year by the Swiss company NF-Performance. The paint is also in the interior. For more street cred, the vehicle was equipped with an air ride suspension, which means the car be lowered down almost to the rims. And the effort was worth it: the custom paint has seen bodyshop owner Nicolas Morand, painter and vehicle owner Kezman Slobodan, and the airbrush artist Bert Galster have 15 wins at appearances at car and tuning shows. The bodyshop team has been relying on Spies Hecker base coat and clear coats for a while thanks to the products’ consistent results.
A pink suction dredger
RSP from Saalfeld, Germany, has been producing suction dredgers for civil engineering applications for 25 years. These are used on construction sites to extract debris and soil with a large bore hose around sensitive pipeline systems. The paint for these gentle giants has to be particularly robust, so RSP uses the Spies Hecker Permafleet system, which is formulated for commercial vehicles. The excavators are initially assembled, uncoated, after ordering. Once the customer has accepted the order, they are disassembled and then painted, sometimes in unusual company colours, as the pretty model in pink featured in September shows.
Be part of the 2020 calendar
"The lighting effects and the wide range of vehicles really makes the 2019 Spies Hecker calendar very special. All the images highlight the skill and passion with which painters worldwide use our products," says Joachim Hinz, Spies Hecker Brand Manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Bodywork and painting companies are invited to submit applications for consideration for the 2020 calendar. Send vehicle and bodyshop photos and detailed information to karsten.juers@axalta.com before 28 February 2019.
All twelve images of the new Spies Hecker 2019 calendar Out Of The Dark can be found here .