Interview: Automotive Pop Culture Icon Fireball Tim Lawrence On SEMA 2024

Fireball Tim Lawrence is an absolute legend. Full stop. 

This man designed the iconic Batmobile for Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman. He also designed vehicles for Gone in 60 Seconds, The Green Hornet, GI Joe Rise of the Cobra, X-Men, and Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer. He worked on special effects for Flubber, Speed, Time Cop, Disclosure… All told, he’s had his hands in the design, special effects, and vehicle concepts for over 400 Hollywood projects. He’s also one of the easiest going, friendliest guys you’ll ever meet.

I had the opportunity to moderate a few panels with Fireball in El Paso back in September. One of those panels broke out of a casual conversation he,  Steve Johnston, and I were having at lunch earlier in the day. Most conversations with this guy could be turned into a panel.

Anyway, I got to meet back up with Fireball at SEMA last month, and here are some of the things we talked about. 

Brendan Allen: You host a show with Tommy Scalera called Car Show Safari. Tell me a little bit about what you two are doing with that platform. 

Fireball Tim Lawrence: Car Show Safari is a FB series to support car show culture. We discuss events around the US and local shows we attend. But its real gold nugget is the shenanigans. Tommy and I have a great time doing it and the goal is to make it fun and entertaining for watchers.

Art Talk Live is similar, yet a bit more substance in helping people to focus on what’s good in their Automotive Lives and do more creatively. Helping people to be Creatively Powerful. Not too many guests yet on CSS, but that’s coming.

Allen: You worked with Heather Edwards of The Dog and Dragon on a couple of vehicles at SEMA. Heather is awesome. How was it working with her on the Dark Phoenix Mustang and the Freedom of the Stampede Bronco?

Lawrence: It’s like working with one of the original GREAT MASTERS. The best thing about Heather is that she has no idea how good she is… Awesome isn’t a word that’s enough to describe her. She transcends greatness into the stuff of legends.

Allen: You and Heather did a fantastic job with the concepts and artwork for both vehicles. What was the inspiration for the Bronco?

Lawrence: Distilling ideas down into a singular focus is what creates Automotive Design Language. For the Bronco, it’s not the power of the horse, but the Freedom of the Stampede. The concept was that with this Freedom, anything can be accomplished. Heather’s Art was perfect for that.

Allen: And the Mustang?

Lawrence: The Mustang started out as the Dark Dragon. The concept was ideas formulating. In other words, “Out of Darkness, comes the Inspiration.”  Carlos (the owner of the vehicle) felt that the Dark Phoenix was better for the Mustang, but I still hold true to the Black to White Fade and Dragon Reversal. But it still works. With God, or our ability to listen, comes the answer to all things.

Allen: SEMA is primarily a trade show, aimed at industry insiders who are networking and promoting new products and concepts. Why is this show so important to the industry?

Lawrence: SEMA reveals what was, what is, and what will be. Not what could be. By this show, we gauge the power of the culture. It feeds us a meal that lasts a year and we all support it. Like a Mothership that is taking us to the NEW WORLD. We all need and love it, knowing that if we trust the power and direction, we’ll get there. Not to mention, it’s a fucking cool show.

Allen: I agree. It is pretty fucking cool. You are a regular fixture at SEMA, and have seen literally dozens of these events. What really stood out for you this year?

Lawrence: As always, the people. New tech always gets revealed, but the BIG reveal to me this year was how EV tech is being accepted. Car Shows are really the only place where people don’t judge each other. No one cares about your race, religion, color, gender. We accept. And this year at SEMA, we accepted about a hundred electric vehicles. That’s cool. But the people are what drives SEMA forward. Wish we could do it more than just once a year!

Allen: Thanks again for your time, Fireball. A pleasure, as always. See you at the next thing!