MotorBrands

MotorBrands USA, Inc. is a t-shirt design company known for its original hand-drawn muscle car art. Part of the 1970s retro t-shirt revival, MotorBrands produced slim fitting vintage style t-shirts displaying popular muscle car art of that period. MotorBrands designs are reproduced using the same pen and ink techniques traditionally used in commercial art before the advent of computer graphics.

Some examples of muscle car t-shirts:

• "Dodge Super Bee"
• "Hemi"
• "Screaming Chicken"

Recognized in American pop culture as a retro t-shirt brand, MotorBrands products have been worn by celebrities like Juliya Chernetsky (aka Mistress Juliya) and Marianela on "Fuse TV," band members from Soilwork on the OzzFest Tour," Johnny Kelly from Type O Negative, Brian Van Holt in Warner Bros. "House of Wax" starring Paris Hilton, Justin Timberlake on "Saturday Night Live", AJ McLean from Back Street Boys on "Oprah Winfrey," just to name a few.

History

Inspired by Ed "Big Daddy" Roth/Rat Fink car culture t-shirts, MotorBrands created its own style based on 1960s and 70s line art graphics. With hot rods and kustom kulture already established by artists like Ed Roth, Von Dutch (Ken Howard), Dean Jeffries, George Barris, MotorBrands created a niche market for muscle car enthusiasts with its pen and ink illustrations, recalling the graphic techniques used in automotive print ads of the 1960s and 70s.

Further Reading on Muscle Car Culture

• Kustom Kulture
• Muscle Cars
• Hot Rods
• Hemi
• Mopar
• Trans Am
• GTO
• Drag Racing
• Cruising
• Rat Fink
• Von Dutch
• George Barris
• General Lee

Notable Films Featuring Muscle Cars

• Two Lane Blacktop
• Bullitt
• Phantasm (film)
• Gone in 60 Seconds (1974 film)
• Vanishing Point (film)
• Smokey and the Bandit
• The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

Press reviews

• Mopar Muscle Magazine (August 2006). Cool Stuff Wear 'Em Proud
• Revolver Magazine (March 2004). Dress to Kill
• Juxtapoz Magazine (September/October 2003). Showroom
• Revolver Magazine (November/December 2003). Dress to Kill
• Revolver Magazine (March/April 2003). Dress to Kill
• Revolver Magazine (November/December 2002). Dress to Kill
• Revolver Magazine (September/October 2002). Dress to Kill
• While You Were Sleeping (Issue No. 19). Dress to Kill
• Juice Magazine (Issue No. 56). Dress to Kill

External links

• Official Website
• Fast Food Kids Subkultur & Retro-Living