Peter Helck

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Peter Helck (1893-1988) was an American illustrator who specialized in depicting racecars. He estimated that he had produced more than 600 sketches, drawings and paintings during his career. Helck developed an early interest in automobiles, and as a boy caught rides with the race car driver who tested Simplex cars. He attended the Vanderbilt Cup on Long Island in 1906. He studied art in New York City, where he could observe the new automobiles displayed in showrooms. His first sale was to the Brighton Beach Motordrome, and he was soon receiving commissions from the Sheepshead Bay Speedway.

Helck worked for many of the major automobile magazines, in particular The Autocar, which took him to England and to major races in France and Italy. In the 1930s Helck was commissioned by the Sinclair Oil Company to produce a large format road map. This map did much to build Sinclair's reputation and to promote driving for pleasure.

In the mid 1940s he was commissioned by Esquire magazine for eight paintings depicting early motor racing. These did much to further interest in the old car hobby and Helck's reputation as the preeminent automotive artist.^{[citation needed]}

In 1941 Helck acquired the famous Locomobile Old 16 racecar, which had won the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup, the first American-made car to win a race against international competition. Helck kept the car in its original paint. He left Old 16 to the Henry Ford Museum when he died.

Helck was one of the founding faculty for the Famous Artists School. He also wrote many articles, and two books, The Checkered Flag and Great Auto Races.