A classic car blueprint is one of those prints that people either walk straight past or stand in front of for five minutes. The second group is who you're buying for. Whether it's for your own garage or a present for someone who still talks about the car they had at twenty-two, the choice usually comes down to three questions: which era, which room, and whose wall.
Below I've gone through each one, with the classic car prints from our range that I think work best.
Choosing by era
Car design changes so much from decade to decade that the era of the car decides the mood of the print more than the colour does. They're all blue and white, so the shape of the car is doing everything.
1930s to 1950s: curves and chrome
Pre-war and post-war cars are rounded, long and a bit theatrical. On a blueprint that means flowing lines, swooping wings and big wheel arches, which feels almost art deco on the wall. These suit traditional rooms, period houses and anywhere with dark wood furniture.
The 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC blueprint is the most elegant drawing in the set, in my opinion. It's all teardrop curves. For something more unusual, the 1948 Tucker 48 blueprint is a great conversation piece, with that third headlight in the middle of the nose.
1960s: the icons
The sixties gave us a lot of the cars people picture when they hear "classic car". The shapes are cleaner and lower than the fifties, and they're often the cars people actually remember from childhood or their first job.
The 1961 Mini Cooper Mk1 blueprint is the one I recommend most for British buyers. Nearly everyone has a Mini story, and the drawing is compact and friendly, so it works at smaller sizes in a hallway or a downstairs loo. The Aston Martin DB5 blueprint is the grown-up grand tourer, long and low, and it looks right in a study.
From across the Atlantic, the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray blueprint shows the split rear window coupe, which car people will spot straight away. The 1967 Mustang GT500 blueprint is the muscle car pick, a bit more aggressive and well suited to a garage or games room.
1970s and 1980s: wedges
Then designers picked up a ruler. Late seventies and eighties supercars are flat, angular wedges, and on a blueprint they look sharp and graphic, almost like an architectural section. These suit modern rooms, minimal flats and anyone who had a supercar poster on their bedroom wall as a teenager.
The Lamborghini Countach blueprint is the wedge in its purest form. The Ferrari Testarossa blueprint has those long side strakes, which make the side view at the top of the sheet look fantastic.
Choosing by room
The garage is the easy one. You can go bigger and bolder here, and a pair or trio works well above a workbench. Use a simple black frame and glaze it, because garages are dusty and damp. If it's an unheated garage, I'd keep anything framed away from the up-and-over door where the cold comes in.
If you're hanging two or three together, keep them from the same era. A Mini next to a Mustang next to a Countach looks like a random pile, whereas two sixties cars side by side look planned. Same frames, same size, and line up the tops.
A hallway needs something that reads quickly as you walk past. Each car sheet is portrait, with the side view across the top and the front, rear and top views below, so the car's profile is the first thing you see. On a long hallway wall I'd hang two or three in a row. On a short stretch, one print at eye level, centre roughly 145 to 150 cm from the floor, with plenty of plain wall either side. The Mini is a good choice here because it works at a modest size.
In a study I want one print and a calmer frame, slim oak or slim black with a white mount. The DB5 or the Bugatti are my picks for a study because their shapes are elegant and they don't shout. If you want help keeping a work room calm, I've written a separate piece on blueprint art for a home office.
Choosing for a person
If it's a gift, the best thing you can do is find the car with a story attached. Ask yourself a few things. What did they learn to drive in? What did they have on their wall as a teenager? Is there a car they always point out at shows? A print of the car they actually remember beats a "better" car every time.
If you're not sure, the era of their youth is a good guide. Someone born in the fifties will probably light up at a sixties icon. Someone who grew up in the eighties will probably want a wedge. And a Mini is about as safe a bet as you'll get for most people who grew up in Britain.
One more practical point: frame it before you give it, or at least include a frame. A rolled print is lovely, but a framed one goes on the wall that weekend instead of sitting in a drawer.
A note on the drawings
These are illustrated technical drawings made for display. They aren't official manufacturer plans, and none of the car makers is connected with Spade22 or endorses these prints. The model names are there so you can find the car you're after.
If you're curious why they're all white on blue, the story goes back to Victorian chemistry, and I've written it up in why blueprints are blue. Our prints start at £9.99, and you'll find ready-framed options in the framed prints collection, or browse more in posters and prints.
