LA man creates art out of abandoned Porsche 911 with stained glass windows

This Los Angeles man created art by incorporating stained glass into the windows of an abandoned Porsche 911.

Ben Tuna is a self-described ‘glass cowboy’ and the owner of Glass Vision Studios, where he works with stained glass on a daily basis.

With a personal passion for cars, he decided to bring them together with his professional craft.

He spoke to Supercar Blondie about the genesis of this idea and the reception it’s received.

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How this LA man turned a Porsche 911 into a work of art with stained glass

In his day-to-day life, Ben Tuna works with stained glass.

Usually, he’s fitting these colorful works of art into people’s homes, whether it be in their bathrooms, windows, or wardrobes.

But he had an inspired idea – to incorporate them into cars.

Obviously, it’d have to be a disused car as visibility wouldn’t be great if you were trying to look through works of art.

For the 30-year-old, it was the perfect way to blend his passion for automobiles with his day-to-day trade.

“I’ve been a car guy my whole life, I’ve liked classic cars as soon as I could drive,” Ben told Supercar Blondie.

“I’m second generation in the stained glass business, my father started [Glass Visions Studios] back in the 1970s, I took over about five years ago.

“I wanted to figure out a way to combine my passion for cars and the work I do.”

Most of the stained glass that Ben works with comes from churches that have sold them on.

“This is the best stained glass you could ever find – 150 years old from Europe,” Ben said.

“It’s being torn out from churches all across America, so I’ll buy them in bulk.

“They’re broken and fallen apart, and we clean them and put them back together.

“In the windshield of one of our cars, there may be five to 10 different windows. It’s a big collage.”

Why has this project been called the Resurrection?

His passion and creative flair led to Resurrection, the first of seven cars to be given the stained glass treatment.

The first car was a Porsche 911 Carrera, with a Porsche 356 following in quick succession.

Waiting in the wings are cars such as a Porsche Targa, another Porsche 911, a BMW Isetta, and a Ford Bronco.

He purchased the shell of the 911 from a guy in Ohio, and it arrived ‘completely rusty’ and with no floor or engine inside.’

“The shape was there, but it wasn’t usable,” Ben said.

“I spent a couple of months cutting the glass and putting the windows in.

“I hosted a party at my workshop and loads of editors showed up. It became this big press thing and spiraled from there.”

The project’s name has a double meaning.

Not only does Resurrection make people think of the Bible, but it’s also a nod to the vehicle’s status.

“My vision was to combine these two forgotten rusty things,” Ben said of the glass and the Porsche 911.

“This is not a restoration, this is a resurrection.

“We’re not focusing on restoring the car or the windows; we want to resurrect it in a way that’s completely different.

“We want to change how people view them.

“It’s got a powerful presence too – when we do shows, people gather around them. They have a magnetic energy.”

His end goal is to finish up all six cars and have them go on display in a gallery studio.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen cars and art intersect.

You may recall the artist who turned real cars into comic book-style creations.

Or the artist who invited gallery visitors to scratch a Lamborghini Gallardo for artistic purposes.

To see more of Ben’s work, head over to his Instagram page.

The photos included in this article were taken by Neal Lett, whose work can be viewed on his Instagram page.

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