Daily Drivers, is a highly original piece of work from Steven Orts and his team at Recom Farmhouse, a leading CGI and creative retouching studio, and photographer Alex Bernstein. The concept? Bringing retired racing cars back to life as daily drivers on the streets of New York. Legendary cars such as the Audi Sport Quattro S1 E2, Jaguar XJR-12, Ferrari 330 P4, Bentley Speed 8 and Toyota GT-One have all been striped back to their purest form, free of sponsorship and multi-coloured liveries to great effect.

Here’s how they frame their work:

A car is a tool. Its uses range drastically: from everyday tasks like commuting, shopping and school runs, to more exciting functions like self-expression and road trips. And then there's racing... Race cars are a uniquely specialised end of this spectrum. Their sole purpose is to be fast and light, with creature comforts and road manners thrown out the window all in the name of victory. But at the end of the day, they’re still cars: four wheels, a seat and some pedals.

When it comes to getting around the city, most New Yorker's opt for public transportation, because having a car in Manhattan is like trying to paint a mural with a Q-tip. So here - in this alternate and absurdist reality - a few legendary race cars break the boundaries of their purpose. In this reality, these retired steeds continue their service. They may not be flat out in Eau Rouge, or spraying gravel off the cliffs of Pikes Peak, but they’re still living, still used, and still loved.

Steven Orts of Recom Farmhouse’s New York studio outlined the rough project idea to photographer and amateur racer, Alex Bernstein, who traveled back to his old stomping grounds in New York to brainstorm with the team, scout and shoot in some iconic locations, working his magic to bring this project to life. With his love for motorsports, Alex nailed the angles to capture the city scenes with their obstructions and ambiance, all while still feeling handheld and natural, as if you were walking through the city streets and had just spotted these ridiculously out-of-place machines.

All the cars are full CGI. Each model required heavy amounts of refinement, while we retextured and prepped in the studio. With great care and patience, the finer details were added. Dust and grit, scuffs and scrapes, raindrops and reflections all work together to fully immerse these cars into their respective worlds. We captured domes from each location which enabled proper reflections to be brought back into post production. Finally, meticulous colour grading enhanced the light and shade of New York City and integrated the composited images.