Most car gifts are generic. A poster of a similar model. A die-cast in roughly the right colour. A branded keychain. A custom deck is none of those things. It's an illustration of the actual car: the exact colour, the exact wheels, the exact spec. An object that exists nowhere else in the world, made specifically for one person and one car.
This is how it works, who it's for, and what makes it different from everything else on a garage wall.
What a custom deck actually is
A Deckorate custom deck starts with photographs of a real car. The Deckorate team creates a hand-drawn vector illustration from those photos, capturing the specific details that make that car unique: the colour, the wheel fitment, the stance, any modifications. The finished artwork is then printed on a premium 7-ply maple skateboard deck, ready to hang.
The result is not a generic model illustration with a colour swapped out. It is a drawing of that specific car, made to sit permanently on a wall.
Who orders a custom deck
Most custom orders fall into one of three situations.
The car they're most proud of. Someone who has spent years building, modifying, or maintaining a car to a specific standard. The colour they chose. The wheels they sourced. The fitment they dialled in over multiple seasons. No off-the-shelf product captures that. A custom deck does.
A gift that can't be replicated. Buying for someone who already has everything car-related is difficult. A custom deck of their actual car is the one gift in that category that nobody else will think of, and that genuinely can't be bought anywhere else.
A car they no longer own. The first car. The one they sold when circumstances changed. The project that got away. A custom deck is a permanent record of a car that may no longer exist in the same form.
How to order
The process is straightforward:
- Go to the custom deck page and place your order.
- Submit clear photographs of the car. A clean side profile shot works best. Include a separate photo of the wheels if you want them captured accurately.
- The Deckorate team creates the vector illustration and sends you a preview for approval.
- Once approved, the deck is printed and shipped.
The full process from order to delivery takes a few weeks. If you're ordering as a gift with a specific date in mind, order early.
Custom decks from €199. Start your order →
What makes a good reference photo
The quality of the illustration depends on the quality of the reference photos. A few things that help:
- Shoot in good natural daylight, not direct harsh sun or low evening light.
- A clean side profile is the primary reference. Straight on, the full car visible, nothing cut off.
- If the wheels are an important part of the car's character, include a separate close-up shot of the wheel face.
- A clean car photographs better than a dirty one. Dust and water marks create shadows that obscure panel lines and colour accuracy.
- If the car has specific modifications you want captured (wide arches, a wing, a lip kit), make sure those elements are visible and well-lit in at least one photo.
What cars people order
Custom orders come in across every category in the collection. Heavily modified Porsches and BMWs are among the most common. JDM builds where the owner has spent years sourcing specific parts for a specific look. Classic cars that have been restored to a specific specification. Rally-inspired road builds. Show cars with unique liveries. Track day cars with racing numbers and sponsor stickers that tell the full story of a season.
The common thread: cars where the owner's fingerprints are all over the result, and where a generic illustration of the same model would completely miss the point.
How it looks on a wall
A single custom deck works as a focal point: above the car in the garage, in a home office, in a living room. Mounted using the Deckorate wall fixtures, it hangs slightly away from the surface with a floating effect that reads as a deliberate object rather than a framed picture.
Some customers order a custom deck alongside standard collection decks from the same era or category: a custom Porsche 964 next to a Martini livery 964 from the collection, for example. The custom deck sits as the personal piece within a broader automotive display.
If you have a car that deserves to be on a wall, or you're looking for a gift that can't be found anywhere else, the custom deck service exists for exactly that.
