GMTunerSource.com - One On One With Jon Sibal. He Breaks It Down Like No One Else.

One On One With Jon Sibal. He Breaks It Down Like No One Else.

Written by Andy Williamson Friday, 20 November 2009

A few months ago we posted a piece by Jon Sibal and had great response from it. Check it out here if you missed it. Jon is one of the most talented guys I have met. We respect him tremendously. I think all of you will like to see some of the things Jon has been a part of over the years and what makes him tick so we sat down with Jon and picked his brain on his personal taste in cars, what fuels him and his thoughts on the future of the auto industry. Enjoy the interview and Rapid Fire!

GMTS – Jon, we have known you for a while and have followed your work closely. For some of our readers, can you breakdown a bit of what you do and how you became involved in the automotive market?

JS – I'm a comic book artist by profession but in the automotive industry, I create photo-realistic rendering for tuners and builders to help visualize their project cars. My involvement in the auto industry came about from building my own cars. I've worked with the distributor of HAMANN Motorsports to help promote the brand here in the states through my BMW M Roadster and my BMW E36. I've since then sold the M Roadster and redesigned my BMW E36 into a widebody. With my quest to make the car unique, I did a rendering of the car with parts from various manufacturers and modified them for a seamless integration. This turned out to be effective in helping us save some money and time in knowing which parts to buy as well as conveying my ideas to the body shop accurately. I started doing design renderings for close friends in the beginning and now for national and international clients.

GMTS – You have had the opportunity to do a lot of cool projects in the automotive world. What were some of your favorites? Do you have a top 3?

JS – I was fortunate enough to be able to work with a lot of talented builders and tuners. Every project I end up working on is a labor of love. I can't name some of my favorite projects due to Non-Disclosure Agreements. But for the ones I can mention, the builds that stands out are:

1. My own BMW E36 - mainly because it's what started my two passions (art and cars) being fused into one.

2. John Pangilinan's Scion tC - it was a pleasure working with John and the car turned out great winning 1st place in the 2008 SEMA Scion Tuner Challenge.

3. Hummer GT - A project which started as a rendering of what if HUMMER built a car and caught the attention of an overseas builder. I had doubted all along that it would ever be built but when it was done, I was floored. It took home the Top honors in last year's AutoBlackthrough.

GMTS – You are well known for your renderings. There is no hiding your talent. How amazing would it be to sit down with an O.E. and be able to design a car? Even if we’re not talking about a car right of the assembly line, but maybe a special edition car or a custom car that O.E.’s build for auto shows etc. Do you think you could shock the world?

JS – I believe that an opportunity to see your designs become a reality is undeniably gratifying. And the reaction of the clients is the icing on the cake. Given the chance, I would certainly jump on it.

GMTS – Given that GMTS caters to GM vehicles, what would be your choice in customizing? You have the whole line at your fingertips. What model would it be and give us a glimpse inside your head on what you would do!

JS – The designers did a great job with the new gen Camaro. You can leave it bone stock and it still looks good. But for some guys who just can't leave things alone, it looks like the perfect blank canvas. Every time I see it, my mind explodes with ideas for this model. The varying designs are dependent on which market it is intended for and how mild or wild I'm allowed to go. But as a fan of motorsports, I would like to have a chance to design a Camaro Race Car, similar to what Ferrari did on their 599XX. Whether it be for a full series circuit racing or simply a Time Attack Lap battle, I think it would be cool to see a Camaro on steroids tearing up the tracks.

Actually, it would look something just like this. I call it the Camaro XS.

The XS features a new bumper design trimmed with carbon fibers parts. It also has wider wheel arches housing a set of fat tires. Exhaust exits through the rocker panel and a dose of carbon fiber parts all around to keep things light and strong. The stance is crucial so a set of wheels with the right offsets, matched with the adjustable race suspension for dialing in the right ride height. Interior is stripped out and reinforced. And obviously a boosted engine, beefed out drivetrain and a properly matched brakes should do it. My goal here is to design something wild and different to make it stand out, but not impossible to build in real life.

GMTS – What does the future hold for cars coming out? Are there any chances for car guys like us (and you) to be able to build power out of cars that are coming out? Do you think that this just pushes us to understand technology that much better, which will help us break into new areas of tuning with new cars down the pipe?

JS – I feel that with the strict CAFE regulations and the lean to a cleaner, more efficient engines, the engineers and designers will be forced to expand their creativity to come up with new technologies and ideas to embrace and exceed these standards. The challenge here is keeping the cost down with all the R&D. With OE's advancements, I'm sure the aftermarket will follow suit.

GMTS – What’s the future for tuning, both performance and body? You’re a guy that’s on the forefront of the market. What do you see in regards to trends down the road here?

JS – As the aftermarket industry adjusts to the ever changing scene, I'm looking forward to seeing developments in alternative gasoline conversions (ie. Ethanol Fuel) for our existing cars (not everyone can afford to buy a new car) so we can continue to produce high horsepower, chassis-twisting torque without breaking the bank and or the law. Easier said than done understandably but I'm hopeful. In regards to "trends", I always feel that the car scene is no different than the fashion scene. Some of the style from the past comes back with a slight tweak - nothing revolutionary but more evolutionary. As history continues to repeat itself, the classy, clean designs are here to stay and will outlast any trends.

GMTS – Can you give us a quick rundown of the comic books that you’ve worked on and what you’re working on now?

JS – Sure. It's a long list but some notables are X-MEN, Spiderman, Iron Man, Fathom, Tomb Raider, Gen-13, Action Comics, X-Factor, Avengers, etc. Mostly Marvel and DC Comics. I'm currently working on SUPERMAN - Secret Origins and SUPERGIRL for DC Comics.

GMTS – Rapid Fire, you ready?

- Favorite means of a power adder (Turbo, Supercharger, NOS, all motor…) TURBO (for TQ)

- Favorite Childhood pet? My dog, coz it was delicious.

- Favorite Show to go to and why? SEMA for the variety of cars and products displayed.

- Inspiration, where does it come from? I'm inspired by innovative designs from anywhere I find them.

- Favorite Food? BEEF!

- Top website you frequent? Any automotive related sites.

- Favorite Magazine? No favorite, just any automotive and art magazines that has good info.

- Any plans for SEMA? Just hope to be there to catch up with friends and check out some builds.

- Any super hot projects going on that you can’t tell anyone? (We won’t tell anyone. Promise… ;) There's a few but my lips are sealed. But one rendering I'm working on currently is for Ken Block.

GMTS – Thanks Jon, I appreciate your time. I know how busy you are and it’s great to run you down and expose your madness to our readers and fans. Love what you’re doing and always look forward to seeing things you’re working on. Come check in with us anytime! P.S. did you know that one of our artists, Jonathan Connolly, tried to beat you out at one of the design contests on VWVortex back in the day? Oh yeah he tried to sabotage the whole deal... LOL. I promised him I wouldn’t tell you! So don’t tell anyone else! Be good and have a great day.

JS - haha, I wouldn't mind losing to Jonathan Connolly as he's a great graphic artist but tell him thanks for letting me win! ;) The opportunity to learn is a reward on its own. Andy, thanks for your patience and for the time man. Good luck editing this article haha.

As a special bonus and thank you to Jon we've created a desktop background for Jon's render. Two sizes are available but if you need a size that isn't listed here, just shoot us a comment below and we'll put one together lickity split!

Jon Sibal Camaro XS Wallpapers: