The talent and craftsmanship of some of our fellow automotive hobbyists never ceases to amaze us.
We were recently introduced to Gary Tatman, of Glen Burnie, Maryland. Gary has created some incredibly detailed carvings of famous racing sports cars and Formula One cars like the  Ferrari F2002 and F2003-GA, the 1965 Lotus 33b “Climax”, the 1976 Tyrrell P-34 six-wheeler, the Ford GT-40 and the 1970 Porsche 917k.
Gary recently showed his carved cars at the Dayton, Ohio, Concours d’Elegance at Carillon Park , and the feedback that he received from the attending public, fellow exhibiting artists and the Concours staff was “through the roof.” Examine his work closely, and you’ll see why.
We’ll let Gary tell you about his work in his own words.
As far as why I have chosen the racing industry as my subject, I love racing, and have done some cart racing up ’till a couple of yrs ago. I’m 52 now, and the open wheel to open wheel incidents have taken their toll: with age, comes longer healing!!! The medium was a natural pick as I’m a millworker by trade, and it just so happens that when I decided to see if I could do something respectable as a motorsport carving, the shop I work for had a bunch of raw drops off the ends of mahogany timbers, FREE!
You’re correct in your assumptions- these carvings start out as a block. I use the Internet motorsports archives to obtain enough photos of the project car for detailed areas such as interiors, engine compartments, suspensions etc. Once all data and photos are assembled, a ratio has to be determined for scaling (in reference to actual body size). Then all areas can be measured and used in the ratio to determine the actual size of the pieces. Once this is accomplished, the design needs to be drawn on the block, for references while shaping takes place.
I then proceed to shape half of the body to reference lines. Once this is done, to insure a perfect symmetrical body at completion, I do the other half, using the finished side as a reference. It works real well, I think!
The tools used are pretty standard in the industry. I use jig saw and belt sander for initial large waste removal, drills and forsner bits to hog-out large areas, drill press for boring straight, accurate bore holes, and for most of the most detailed pieces and final removal of waste product, a dremel and an assorted set of detailed bits for rotary grinding is used. Final shaping is done with sand paper, first with 120 grit, then 220 grit, and a final sanding with 320 grit for a finish that will sparkle, be it clear coat or livery colors! I also use a mini-lathe for the rims and tires.
All joints are tenet pinned for strength, and to allow some measure of usability with the carvings. A surface glue joint might fail while rolling the car, as the natural tendency is to push down also, and with suspension attachment points being minute, a tenet pin glued up seems to work real well.
Of course, most of the engines come out after being disconnecting the exhaust tailpipes from the engine headers and sliding them forward to disengage them from transaxle or transmissions. On cars with enclosed interiors, these are fully detailed and have an inset sliding lock on the undertray of the vehicle which allows you to drop the floorboard with the seats, console, handbrake and shifter down through the bottom of car. The hoods of the cars are removable to expose the radiators and vent openings for air flow. The front tires turn in unison, and the Porsche 917k, when complete, will be the first car with steering wheel turning capabilities. I also have a driveline mocked-up that will turn the engine cooling turbine on top of the engine with the turning of the rear wheels as you roll it! All of the shifters, handbrakes and foot pedal assemblies move. The gas caps all lock and unlock, the side view mirrors adjust, and any aero flaps would be adjustable on the car.
Gary is currently considering starting work on a 1955 Corvette, and he’s set to begin work on a sculpture of Ken Anderson and Peter Windsors’s US F1 car for 2010; he’ll be going to their factory in Charlotte, North Carolina, in December, to do research on the finished car to produce a lobby display.
If you’re interested in contacting Gary about his work, you can email him at
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