About
Manu Campa is an automotive painter working out of a converted space in downtown Madrid, where a garage full of air-cooled Porsches sits a few steps from the easel he paints them on. He takes on 50 to 60 commissions a year, most of them vintage Stuttgart metal, and keeps the cars that feed the work parked within sight of the canvas.
The space is split in two. Out front is the social half: his 1974 Porsche 911 2.7 Carrera in IROC livery, a 1931 Ford Model A Roadster running as the 53 B.D. Special, a pool table, a driving simulator, and a coffee table built from a Porsche 928 V8. Behind a velvet curtain, all of that stops. White walls, daylight, canvases, paint. Words and photography by Marco Annunziata.
The Light
For Manu Campa, the studio was decided the moment he saw the light.
After years of searching and walking through spaces that never quite worked, it wasn't size, location, or layout that made the difference. It was natural light.
"If my studio didn't have natural light, it wouldn't be my studio. It's essential for me to be able to paint every day," he says.
What he found was not immediately obvious to anyone else. The abandoned space was cold, empty, and largely overlooked. But the potential was clear. Over time, through renovation and use, it became something more defined, a garage and studio shaped around two constants in his life: painting and cars.
The Space
The vision Manu had was always there, but it evolved alongside his career. Ideas came from travel, from garages he visited, and from spaces that stayed with him long after he left. What exists now is the result of that process, layered gradually over time.
One of the first objects to arrive set the tone. A coffee table built from a Porsche 928 V8 engine, sourced from the U.S. It arrived earlier than expected to an otherwise empty room, a playful and symbolic marker of what his garage would become.
The layout is intentionally divided.
At the front, the "noble" zone, a more social space acts as a point of entry. Cars sit alongside a pool table and a driving simulator, creating a setting that feels active and informal. It's where clients and friends are welcomed, where the garage operates as a place to gather.
Behind a velvet curtain, the atmosphere shifts. The studio itself is stripped back and controlled. White walls, an abundance of natural light, and just the essentials: canvases, easels, and paint. The contrast is deliberate. The darker, industrial tones of the garage give way to a space designed entirely for focus.
Cars as Context
Cars are not decoration here. They shape how Manu thinks and works, fueling his creativity.
"It's almost an obsession," he says. "I'm constantly spinning ideas, planning new series with models, or dreaming about my next acquisition."
The overlap between his work and his passion is complete. One feeds the other.
Over time, a variety of cars have moved through the studio, including a Caterham, a Jaguar, a three-wheeled Morgan. Each one temporary, but each leaving some trace, whether in the way the space is arranged or in the ideas that follow.
On Process
A typical day starts simply. Emails, calls, reviewing projects. Eventually, he picks up the brush and immerses himself in painting.
There's no strict structure, but he has small rituals to mark the end of a session. Brushes are cleaned, paint containers are closed, the space reset for the next session.
Visitors rarely expect what they find. The brightness, the warmth, a space that merges functionality and aesthetic precision. Manu is a natural aesthete, yet practicality is always key, the space must accommodate multiple cars without compromising its appearance or usability.
A Space in Use
For Manu, the studio is not something to complete. It's something to live with.
The goal now is not to redesign it, but to let it evolve organically with him. As his work shifts, as different cars pass through, the space adjusts with it. His studio is more than a place to paint or store cars, it's a manifestation of his life, his passions, and his art. Every element, from the natural light to the Porsche engine coffee tables, tells a story of creativity, design, and obsessive attention to detail.
Garage Overview
Type: Converted commercial space, working garage and painting studio
Location: Downtown Madrid, Spain
Layout: Split plan. A social "noble" zone at the front, a working studio behind a velvet curtain
Defining Feature: Natural light. It was the one condition the space had to meet
Vehicles: 1974 Porsche 911 2.7 Carrera "IROC", 1931 Ford Model A Roadster "53 B.D. Special", Volkswagen Golf Mk1 Cabriolet, Mercedes-Benz G-Class. A Caterham, a Jaguar and a three-wheeled Morgan have all passed through
Notable Features: Porsche 928 V8 engine coffee table, pool table, driving simulator, bar, scale model collection, Manu's own canvases throughout