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Posted on 24/02/26 8:31:47 PM |
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lwc
Hole in One Posts: 3460 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1093: The King's Bugatti
An "artsy" version. 
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Posted on 25/02/26 11:33:22 AM |
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Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3252 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1093: The King's Bugatti
Finding the make and model of the original car: No, it’s not a Bugatti. I found a similar monochrome photograph on Wikipedia. It’s a Panhard & Levassor Belka, 1934. 
Here is a gold plated version on Wikimedia. This one is a Vulka. 
Google AI states This image features a vintage 1935 Panhard & Levassor X73 Vulka Coupé, a luxury French automobile The manufacturer, Panhard & Levassor, was one of the world's first car makers in continuous production, established in 1891. The car I used: Instead of the Panhard & Levassor 6CS RL-N Coupé X72 BELKA (1934), I used a Panhard-Levassor X74 (1933) I found in Lane Motor Museum, Nashville: 
Putting smiles on their faces: This is where I cheated. In 1933 the average person didn’t have colour photography and the monochrome photographs from those days are usually faded and grainy. Guessing that Mohammed’s son and grandson would look similar to him I used their faces instead. Naughty! But then, this is all about cheating in Photoshop isn’t it? 
This image captures a candid moment in time with the Moroccan royal family, specifically King Mohammed VI, Princess Lalla Salma, and their children, Princess Lalla Khadija and Crown Prince Moulay Hassan. King Mohammed VI is shown interacting with his children and former (divorced) wife. From Wikipedia There are competing accounts of exactly what Mohammed V did or did not do for the Moroccan Jewish community during the Holocaust. However, "though a subject of debate, most scholars stress the benevolence of Mohammed V toward the Jews" during the Vichy era. Mohammed reportedly refused to sign off on efforts by Vichy officials to impose anti Jewish legislation upon Morocco and deport the country's 250,000 Jews to their deaths in Nazi concentration camps and extermination camps in Europe. The sultan's stand was "based as much on the insult the Vichy diktats posed to his claim of sovereignty over all his subjects, including the Jews, as on his humanitarian instincts." Partial Nazi race measures were enacted in Morocco over Mohammed's objection, and Mohammed did sign, under the instructions of Vichy officials, two decrees that barred Jews from certain schools and positions. Nevertheless, Mohammed is highly esteemed by Moroccan Jews who credit him for protecting their community from the Nazi and Vichy French government, and Mohammed V has been honoured by Jewish organisations for his role in protecting his Jewish subjects during the Holocaust. Some historians maintain that Mohammed's anti-Nazi role has been exaggerated; historian Michel Abitol, considered an expert on the history of Morocco and the history of the Jews of North Africa, writes that while Mohammed V was compelled by Vichy officials to sign the anti-Jewish decrees, "he was more passive … in that he did not take any side and did not engage in any public act that could be interpreted as a rejection of Vichy's policy.” In my opinion a brave and principled man. |
Posted on 25/02/26 12:30:34 PM |
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Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3252 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1093: The King's Bugatti
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Posted on 26/02/26 11:07:26 AM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 6028 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1093: The King's Bugatti
As I said before this is not my subject. But I did wonder about this as I am fairly sure the Bugatti had a very distinctive round topped radiator, a bit like a Norman arch. Excellent piece of research Michael. Lovely clean work, although I can't help wondering if the back of young Mohammed's car might be perilously close to Dad's.  _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 26/02/26 12:23:52 PM |
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Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3252 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1093: The King's Bugatti
Thanks, David.
Yes, it is. Dad is such a poor driver. He normally has a chauffeur. |
Posted on 26/02/26 12:34:03 PM |
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Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3252 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1093: The King's Bugatti
Steve, he managed to open the passenger door a little and squeeze through. In this model the doors opened from front to rear, not back to front as they do now. |
Posted on 26/02/26 5:11:42 PM |
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dwindt
Realism Realiser Posts: 997 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1093: The King's Bugatti
Arh, Super find Michael. Mariner, the mature mind beyond ai. When people were taught properly. This is plus, this is minus....where science went wrong was when it taught that 2 minus' became a plus...lol! Well found Mariner!!! Hat's off! _________________ The grass is greener on the other side of the fence because there is more $hit there. |
Posted on 26/02/26 5:14:07 PM |
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dwindt
Realism Realiser Posts: 997 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1093: The King's Bugatti
Who said Dad got there first? Every good dad lets their son win the race...lol. Food for thought...lol _________________ The grass is greener on the other side of the fence because there is more $hit there. |
Posted on 26/02/26 7:02:41 PM |
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Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3252 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1093: The King's Bugatti
Thanks Dennis. I really enjoyed this one. |
Posted on 26/02/26 7:06:50 PM |
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Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3252 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1093: The King's Bugatti
Dad didn't get there first! He stayed behind to make sure his son could steer that pedal thing! |
Posted on 26/02/26 9:05:05 PM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 6028 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1093: The King's Bugatti
Of course! How silly of me. _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 26/02/26 9:29:48 PM |
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dwindt
Realism Realiser Posts: 997 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1093: The King's Bugatti
You see...the South African are good allies. Many of us thought provoking individuals are anyway...lol. _________________ The grass is greener on the other side of the fence because there is more $hit there. |
Posted on 27/02/26 03:01:31 AM |
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Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3252 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1093: The King's Bugatti
Yes, you are, Dennis. |
Posted on 27/02/26 08:22:27 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7132 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1093: The King's Bugatti
First to get behind the wheel this week was dwindt, with a neatly recoloured car and a rather creepy grin on the face of the boy. I like the desert setting, although I’m not sure the vignette makes a lot of sense in this scenario. A very fine rebuild of Mohammed's car, a near-perfect match for the original. Has the old king lost a few inches, though? I like it when Hassan joins him, clearly barrelling along at speed. I seem to remember earlier in the week noticing some curious headlamp distortion, but this seems to have disappeared now. So is your first version of this image now the same as the second version? Still no smiles from lwc, although the garish colouring should at least have cheered up the miserable pair. The bright yellow wheels are fine, and that’s a cure teddy bear. The chrome version is very tasty, although Mohammed’s taste in car colours continues to alarm. Cute dog. What’s with the somewhat cubist triptych in the background? The old photo is nicely done. The artsy version is fun. For what it’s worth, I always add a slight drop shadow inside my picture frames, which makes them look that much more realistic. I greatly enjoyed Ben Boardman’s splendid indoor racetrack, although logically it does look impossible to navigate – is this AI? He must be pedalling awfully hard to make the wheels spin like that. At least Dad seems to be enjoying it. Good to see his entire car collection at Château Saint Jean – I like how Mohammed is running after the car (perhaps in a bid to stop him crashing into another of his prized vehicles?). Good to see young Hassan has some mates in Ant Snell’s cute entry – and at last he seems to be enjoying it. The front of his car seems to be colliding with the curious train-like vehicle in front of it, though, and that spotlight does look seriously out of place. A much more cheerful expression from tooquilos, even if Mohammed has apparently swapped children on the way back to the desert – I wonder if Mrs Mohammed will notice when she turns her head. Ah – I see in the animated version why you’ve changed the boy. A great set of moving images of the Arabic family – where do you find this stuff? I see Nick Curtain’s Hassan has got stuck in the sand – no wonder he looks so miserable. That’s a neatly-placed AA van in the distance. Perhaps the boy and the camel should be exchanging a glance? A good pitstop scene from GKB, with a fine flurry of action; would have been better if you’d coloured in the car, though. But you do seem to have polished up that chrome a treat. Hassan still doesn’t seem to be enjoying himself. It’s clear DavidMac is not a car enthusiast (and for what it’s worth, I share your view) but it’s good to see Hassan’s Bugatti racing out in front. Might I suggest that to make it blend better into the scene, colour it the same red as the others? I did watch the YouTube video. Splendid stuff. A painstaking reconstruction from Mariner, clearly following a serious amount of research. Hassan’s car has been meticulously rebuilt, with gleaming chromework. There are some odd perspectives in Mohammed’s car, which you’ve done your best to mask by that outstretched arm: the angle of view of the windscreen is very much at odds with the angle of the radiator (which is surprising, I’d have thought this would be relatively straightforward to fix). The shadows generally work, although I’m not sure the shadow of Hassan’s head should be there at all. I’m very intrigued by your sourced photo of the smiling family, a couple of generations further on. Good choice! |
Posted on 27/02/26 08:40:48 AM |
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Nick Curtain
Model Master Posts: 1792 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1093: The King's Bugatti
Thanks Steve. |
Posted on 27/02/26 09:00:48 AM |
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dwindt
Realism Realiser Posts: 997 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1093: The King's Bugatti
Thank you, Steve. If you compare the last 2 images side by side, you'll notice the considerable difference between the 2. Cosmetic and reflection changes that satisfy the eye and marry the scene together in a more suitable way. _________________ The grass is greener on the other side of the fence because there is more $hit there. |
Posted on 27/02/26 09:08:33 AM |
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Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3252 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1093: The King's Bugatti
Thanks Steve. The more I looked at the odd perspective of the car (hours) the more I convinced myself it was more or less OK. So I decided to leave it be. Hassan's head shadow is wrong, I know, but I thought I would leave it to you to comment. To give you something to do! (Joke). |
Posted on 27/02/26 09:14:47 AM |
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Ben Boardman
Printing Pro Posts: 733 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1093: The King's Bugatti
Thanks Steve, another enjoyable challenge. The Bugatti Baby had a single 12-volt electric motor and a top speed of 18 kilometers an hour. Hence the blur & worried facial expression and Dad needing to stop a possibly expensive crash. The track is quite compressed - I overdid transform trying to match the car perspective, the stop sign also effected. Belgian cartoonist Hergé was inspired by the Bugatti Baby delivered to Moulay Hassan (Hassan II, King of Morocco) when writing one of the episodes of his famous comic albums The Adventures of Tintin. |
Posted on 27/02/26 11:45:48 AM |
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DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 6028 Reply |
Re: Challenge 1093: The King's Bugatti
I did start like that and then decided that he merited his own colour. I think the real reason he doesn't blend is the flat quality of the original old photo leaves the car looking matt beside all the shiny ones. I noticed just about everyone else did an excellent job of adding reflections. I am afraid lack of automotive enthusiasm held me back.
After so many years away it looks incredibly British with all the hallmarks of English eccentricity. _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 27/02/26 12:59:55 PM |
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GKB
Magical Montagist Posts: 4130 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 1093: The King's Bugatti
Thanks Steve _________________ Have you ever noticed that all the instruments designed to detect intelligent life are pointing away from the Earth? |
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