Bio
Nik Schulz in 2023
I was born in Germany, grew up in the U.S., and have loved cars for as long as I can remember. On a childhood trip to Germany in about 1980, I remember my uncle showing me the “M” badge affixed to the front of his BMW. “This ‘M’ means something very special,” he said. It must have been an E12 M535i, BMW’s first sedan to receive upgrades from the Motorsport division. The experience stoked my excitement for potent, special cars.
The BMW E12 M535i, 1979
Following a passion for well-designed objects, I studied industrial design at Cal. State, Long Beach. After spending a few years at design firms, I switched to illustration and spent 20-plus-years working for some of the world’s best magazines. Now I’m grateful to be an artist creating limited-edition prints celebrating the 20th century’s greatest cars.
Commissions
I welcome hearing about your custom project. To work with me, please reach out through the green ”Contact Me” link at the bottom of the page.
Gallery Exhibitions
VAC Committee Show (group), Orcas Center, Eastsound, WA, 2024
Featured artist show (solo), Washington Federal Bank, Eastsound, WA, 2019
Collections
Jay Leno’s Garage, private collection, 2015
Awards
American Illustration 25, selected work, 2006
Magazine contributions
Road & Track, “Performance Car of the Year,” 2020 | Link
Road & Track, “How a Hydrogen Filling Station Works,” 2017 | Link
Princeton Alumni Weekly, “Engineering: A Car without a Driver,” 2016 | Link
Corporate work
Honda Motor Co., in conjunction with RPS Advertising, “The Accord Legacy,” 2018 | Link
Additional press
Ecurie | WEBSITE, Link
Core77 | WEBSITE, Link
Cool Tools | PODCAST, Link
Silodrome | WEBSITE, Link