There is an art to the automobile, whether it is on canvas, in poster form or on the street.

A car collector is not that different – and not less obsessive – than an art collector. A visual component is a large part of the passion for cars. When artist Simon Bull drives through Carmel, his pink vintage Aston Martin dubbed “Cupcake” becomes an art manifesto.

Then there’s the art inspired by cars from Bull’s acrylic automotive paintings that express speed, a contemporary pairing with original race posters presented at the Automobilia Collectors Expo, some as old as the late 1800s.

“I’m not a car guy,” says Bull, who happens to design posters for the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and is known to make a new car painting each year just for Car Week. “I became a car guy by accident.”

Bull’s gallery, Meuse on Ocean Avenue in Carmel, had been hosting car-related events for some time when Aston Martin proposed a collaboration. A big fan of James Bond, Bull couldn’t refuse. In 2023, he opted for an exhibit inspired by cinematic car chases, titled Great Car Chases of the Silver Screen. Last year’s car exhibition was titled British Racing Green. This year the audience can admire the The Art of Acceleration exhibit during the Astons On The Avenue event.

“I managed to develop a way of creating movement and speed and a feeling, kind of an emotion in the paintings,” Bull explains of his expression of movement. “I try to create that feeling that you’re also the driver.”

Automotive historian and collector Tony Singer has been showing his vintage posters during Car Week for over 20 years, mostly European.

“U.S. domestic races did not produce that many posters, especially early on,” he says.

This year’s selection is based upon the graphic appeal of the image, the importance of the event or the car that’s depicted in the poster. In his bigger collection, Singer has a 1927 Klausen Rennen Poster One worth $33,000 – “the most dynamic Art Deco posters ever done,” he says.

SIMON BULL: THE ART OF ACCELERATION opens Friday, Aug. 8. Meuse, Ocean and Monte Verde, Carmel. Open daily 11am-5pm; on display until Aug. 17. Free. 622-3010, meusegallery.com.

THE AUTOMOBILIA COLLECTORS EXPO 10am-5pm Monday, Aug. 11; 10am-8pm Tuesday, Aug. 12; 10am-3pm Wednesday, Aug. 13. Auction 4-8pm on Aug. 12. Embassy Suites, 1441 Canyon Del Rey Blvd., Seaside. $15/one-day pass; $30/three-day pass. 844-227-9335, automobiliacollectorsexpo.com.