The easiest way to garner a cult social media following is by being unique, and that's how custom car shops have been amassing themselves thousands of followers on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. They impress the internet community with images and videos of their highly modified vehicles.

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However, over the past few years, social media has experienced a different wave. Some of the most viewed and shared cars are no longer from established automakers and custom shops, but rather creative designs of small groups of talented and highly skilled concept artists. These artists apply their robust skill sets to come up with impressive and nearly impossible computer graphics-rendered vehicles. With these concept studios growing rather fast, this seems like the perfect time to look at eight of today's most influential automotive concept artists.

8 Abimelec Design

While many of the most revolutionary automotive designers in history learned their skills from a university or college, Abimelec Arellano is a completely self-taught concept artist who completed his first project at 11. The young designer from Mexico got his inspiration from watching Chip Foose do his magic on the show Overhaulin.

After stepping up to using 3D programs like Keyshot, Abimelec became quite famous in this space. He has now been designing digital vehicles for the better part of the decade. He currently works from Sonora under the banner name Abimelec Design, creating commissioned concepts and rendering dream cars from his imagination.

7 Bradbuilds

Many vehicles and motorcycle concepts never get out of the computer and onto the roads, probably because they are too complex to manufacture. That's not the case with Bradbuilds; the artist has managed to bring most of his digitally rendered vehicles to life.

What makes Bradbuilds unique is that he strives to create realistic concepts that can be built into real cars. Almost all of his computer graphic renders can be manufactured. What he needs is an accommodating budget, and the concept becomes a reality.

6 Dmitry Mazurkevich

Various artists go to different depths when building a computer-generated car. While some will only draw the vehicle's outer shell, others will dive deep into their imagination to create intricate parts of the car. Such designers include Dmitry Mazurkevich, who takes the latter approach to the next level.

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Dmitry meticulously renders bespoke automobiles from scratch, showing details of the exotic exteriors and internal parts such as engine, functional suspension systems, and lifelike cockpits. This level of attention to detail and determination to deliver the best means that Dmitry Mazurkevich takes double or three times the duration other designers take to complete their projects, but the result proves that quality is always better than quantity.

5 Flat Hat 3D Studio

Flat Hat 3D is a concept studio run by Ted Li, a concept artist specializing in designing and selling lifelike car renderings online. Flat Hat 3D creates highly accurate digital renders, made possible by Li's passion for vehicles and his genius understanding of the automotive design language.

Li also possesses the exceptional ability to tweak existing vehicle designs and amplify or exaggerate their defining components to make the design so unique that any enthusiast would dream of driving one. Ted Li is quite unique from many concept artists, primarily because his designs can be noticed at the local racetrack or the coffee joint.

4 Jon Sibal

Another iconic moniker in the concept artistry world is the legendary Jon Sibal, a designer who influences the digital world and the real automotive space. Jon Sibal began his career in the comic book industry nearly thirty years ago before joining the concept designing industry. The artist focuses on designing performance cars.

So unique about Sibal's designs is that his concepts are often featured in high-profile video games and have also been turned into real creations, from Formula Drift cars to one-off SEMA project vehicles.

3 Khyzyl Saleem

Khyzyl Saleem is a completely self-taught, young concept artist who started his rendering career with Photoshop at 17. He is arguably the most social media famous and the most influential artist. The designer used online tutorials to train himself in the art of car rendering, first in 2D and eventually in 3D.

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At the age of 21, Khyzyl was working with Electronic Arts, producing mad concept vehicles for the Need for Speed Franchise. The young designer went on to create for himself a cult-like following on the internet and a long list of legendary concepts that are being built into real cars.

2 Colorsponge

For an artist to be called influential, they have to have passed several growth stages and earned the trust of the internet community and that of real automakers and big-name concept studios. This is so true for Carlos Pecino, popularly known as Colorsponge. This designer is so good that his renders are always mistaken for real steel and metal cars.

Pecino's latest project is a collaboration with professional collaborator Ash Thorp to create a concept series of 24 vehicles badged under the fictitious marque of Make Haste Corp, or M.H.C.

1 Hakosan Design

The Hakosan Design is an underrated studio that deserves way better than it has received so far. Real name Luis González, Hakosan focuses on doing widebody rendering of hypercars and supercars. The studio also specializes in selling 3D models.

What makes Hakosan Design stand out is its modernized race-spec rendering of classic J.D.M. sports cars. González takes iconic vintage cars and gives them an overhaul redesign with aggressive aero kits, intake scoops, flared fenders, diffusers, and rear wings. Although he doesn't have as much internet following as many of the artists featured here, Hakosan Design's work is worth every attention.