425: From Chrome to Canvas The Automotive Art of Shannon Fannin

The Ford Mustang is a classic American sports coupe/convertible that became a defining “muscle car” icon, especially in the mid-1960s. In collector circles, a 1965 Mustang convertible is often discussed because it represents an early, highly recognizable design and is a popular target for preservation or restoration. It may come up alongside other unrestored classics as an example of what makes certain eras so desirable.

The BMW M6 is a performance grand tourer, combining high power with a more comfortable, long-distance-oriented layout than a typical sports coupe. When someone says a “black on white M6” is leading, it usually means they’re tracking a specific example for purchase or restoration based on color and condition. In collector discussions, the M6 often stands out because it’s a rarer, more specialized performance model.

“Guess the growl” (or “guess the exhaust”) is a listener game where the host plays multiple exhaust sounds and the audience tries to identify which cars they came from. It’s essentially an audio-spotting challenge based on exhaust note character.

“Exhaust notes” refers to the audible sound signature produced by a car’s exhaust system—often influenced by engine configuration, exhaust design, and tuning. Enthusiasts use these differences to identify what kind of engine or car they’re hearing.

Land Rover is the brand known for off-road-focused vehicles like the Defender, Discovery, and Range Rover. A “Land Rover club” is typically a local enthusiast group centered on those vehicles and related events such as trail rides and off-roading meetups.

The 1961 Ford Thunderbird is a classic American personal-luxury car, and the convertible version is especially prized for open-top cruising. In this episode, the guest’s husband bought a 1961 Thunderbird convertible, which becomes the catalyst for her getting into automotive art.

“Chrome” refers to the shiny metal finish often used on classic cars’ exterior trim. A “grille” is the front opening (usually with decorative bars) that helps with airflow to the engine bay, and it’s also a major visual focal point for car art.

In automotive photography and painting, “reflections” are the way light bounces off glossy paint, glass, and body contours. Artists often chase specific reflection patterns because they reveal the car’s shape and surface quality.

“Duck tail” refers to a specific rear spoiler shape—short, rounded, and raised—commonly associated with classic Porsche 911s. It’s a visual cue and an aerodynamic feature that changes airflow over the rear of the car.

“Patina” describes the worn, aged appearance a vehicle develops over time—often from sun, dust, minor dents, and surface wear. In collector and art circles, patina is valued because it tells a story and looks more “lived-in” than a fully restored finish.

“Cropping” in Photoshop means trimming the photo to focus on a specific area, like reflections, color, or design lines. For automotive art, this is a common way to emphasize the most compelling visual details without distractions.

The Audi Quattro is a rally-famous performance car best known for popularizing all-wheel-drive in motorsport at a high level. When it’s mentioned in connection with the 1985 Pikes Peak event, it highlights the car’s competition history and the way it handled challenging terrain. That kind of racing background is exactly why the Quattro is frequently discussed among collectors and enthusiasts.

“Exotic muscle car” is a descriptive phrase combining two enthusiast categories: muscle cars (big-displacement, performance-focused American cars) and “exotic” (rare, high-status, often European or supercar-like). In this episode it’s used as a broad description of the kinds of cars the artist is drawn to.

Ferraris are high-performance sports cars from Ferrari, typically associated with exotic styling and racing-derived engineering. The artist mentions painting quite a few Ferraris, indicating they’re a recurring subject in her work.

The BMW 2002 is a classic compact sports sedan/coupe from BMW’s earlier era, known for its simple, driver-focused character. Enthusiasts often love it because it’s an iconic model that’s relatively straightforward to maintain and restore compared with more complex modern cars. In a podcast about collecting and restoration, it’s a natural choice when someone mentions a personal soft spot for vintage BMWs.

The guest says she wants to do more Formula 1 (F1) cars as a painting series. This is a content direction shift from classic road cars toward race cars, which often have very different shapes, aero details, and color schemes.

The guest also mentions Indy cars, referring to open-wheel race cars associated with IndyCar racing. Like F1, Indy cars have distinct aerodynamic and bodywork details that can be challenging and fun to capture in art.

Mercedes is the consumer-facing brand name for Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The guest references a Mercedes AMG red pick, indicating she’s painted or photographed a specific Mercedes performance variant.

AMG is Mercedes-AMG, the performance division of Mercedes-Benz. When someone says “AMG,” they typically mean a Mercedes model tuned and engineered for higher performance than the standard version.

Carbon fiber is a lightweight, high-strength composite material made from thin carbon strands woven into sheets and bonded with resin. On supercars and hypercars, it’s often used for body panels and aerodynamic parts, and it can look visually distinctive because of its weave pattern.

This describes the artistic illusion of depth on a flat surface—using shading, highlights, and perspective cues so a 2D image appears three-dimensional. In car art, it’s especially important for capturing the way curved bodywork and reflective materials (like chrome) create depth through light and shadow.

“Blacked out trim” refers to exterior accents (like window surrounds, badges, or trim pieces) that are finished in black or dark colors instead of chrome or bright metal. It changes the car’s visual contrast and can make the body lines look more “clean” or stealthy.

The BMW M4 is a high-performance version of BMW’s 4 Series, built by BMW’s M division for sharper handling and stronger power than standard models. In a collector or restoration context, “M4 restorations” can come up because these cars are popular and can be worked on for condition, appearance, or performance-related upgrades. It may be mentioned alongside other projects to highlight what’s being restored or sourced in a specific region.

The “de havelin beaver” refers to the de Havilland Beaver, a rugged single-engine aircraft known for short takeoff and landing capability. It’s often associated with remote-area supply missions because it can operate from rough, improvised airstrips.

“F 40” is shorthand for the Ferrari F40, a mid-1980s supercar famous for its raw, analog driving feel and lightweight, performance-first design. It’s a common poster car because it represents the era of turbocharged, high-horsepower Italian supercars.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is the airport in Austin, Texas where the speaker says they were able to display their artwork. For car enthusiasts, it’s an example of how collector-car culture can spill into mainstream public spaces through exhibitions.

Amelia Island is a well-known motorsports and collector-car event location in Florida, associated with auctions and awards for classic and exotic cars. In this segment, it’s the setting where Lamborghini-related awards and commissions happened.

The Chevrolet Corvette is a long-running American sports car known for its performance and for being a serious enthusiast platform. In collector conversations, specific variants like the C3-era “Corvette” and other performance-focused models often get mentioned because they represent different stages of design and engineering. It’s also a common subject when someone is building, restoring, or collecting multiple classic performance cars.

The Porsche 356 is Porsche’s early sports car, known for its classic shape and air-cooled flat-four engine layout. In collector-car circles, it’s a foundational model that represents the brand’s early engineering and design language.

The phrase refers to the broader shift toward electric vehicles (EVs) and electrified transportation. In the context of the episode, it contrasts modern “electric” trends with the preservation of vintage cars.

Waymo is a company best known for self-driving technology and driverless vehicle services. Here, it’s used as an example of how modern autonomous transportation is becoming common in Austin.

Tesla is an EV brand known for electric cars and large-scale charging and software features. The host uses “Teslas everywhere” to emphasize how electric vehicles are increasingly visible in everyday life.

The Pontiac GTO is a classic American muscle car, and the 1966 GTO is especially iconic for its mid-1960s styling and place in the “muscle car” era. In this segment, the host frames driving it as a real-time “snapshot” of a car that won’t last forever.

“Un-restored” means the car hasn’t been fully brought back to original condition through restoration work. For collectors, that can affect originality, value, and how much mechanical and cosmetic work still needs to be done.

Rust is corrosion of metal, and on vintage cars it’s a major threat because it can spread through body panels, frames, and structural parts. The host lists rust as one of the reasons classic cars can disappear over time.