Dennis Simon received his BFA from the Maryland Institute, College of Art in 1969. He began his career as a fashion illustrator and three years later joined a Baltimore (Maryland) advertising agency as an art director.

In 1972, Simon decided to freelance full-time, concentrating on design and illustration for advertising and editorial subjects. Some of his early clients included the Smithsonian Institute, the National Geographic Society, Johns Hopkins University and the U.S. Department of State and Commerce.

The majority of Simon's work in the 1970s was for the National Park Service, designing exhibit systems for several National Parks and Monuments and producing more than 200 historical paintings for these and other exhibits. In 1986 and '87 he designed the exhibit system for the Collier Automotive Museum in Naples, Florida, providing an ideal opportunity for him to combine his skills in exhibit design with his longstanding interest in vintage automobiles.

Simon's interest in cars goes back almost as far as his interest in art. He remembers drawing girls for a short time before he began filling school notebooks with car sketches. His life as an automotive enthusiast has followed the usual route, starting with a ($250) MGA while in art school and now, 50 or 60 motorcars later, he's enjoying his 1953 Morgan. "I was always careful to cultivate tastes I could afford," content to consume vast amounts of automotive history on the grander marques. Although there had always been a sprinkling of automotive assignments in his early freelance career, it was a casual spin in a fellow enthusiast's Bugatti that helped him decide to concentrate wholly on automotive subjects.

His automotive illustration has been featured in Road & Track, Sports Car International, Automobile, Thoroughbred and Classic Cars, Classic and Sportscar, and Vintage Motorsport magazines. Simon's favorite projects document automotive racing history, and he has designed over 50 original automotive posters for such clients as Black & Decker, UNOCAL, Michelin, BF Goodrich, SVRA's Bahama Vintage Grand Prix, and most notably, the annual Monterey Auction posters for Rick Cole.

Simon designed and illustrated the cover of the Indianapolis 500 program in 1998. This design was also published as a poster for the 500, the world's largest spectator sports event. He has been honored by the U.S. Postal Service with the commission for the 1992 America's Cup stamp design. In recent years he has also re-entered the world of men's fashion by designing a collection of silk neck ties for RM Style, using his signature style of automotive painting.

Simon's recent works include a series of articles that he both wrote and illustrated for Christophorus, the corporate magazine of Porsche NA-a large colorful poster for Road America's vintage salute to Jim Hall and his Chaparrals, and a Formula 1 poster for Michelin North America. Most recently Dennis has produced poster editions for Porsche NA's launch for their new SUV, the Cayenne, and for their Rennsport Reunion, 2004's premier vintage racing event to be held at Daytona International Speedway this April. Past commissions from Michelin NA include posters for 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Tour de Corse rally in Corsica, Barber Pro Series and the American Super Touring Series. He has also produced custom-designed neckwear items under his trademark label CENTURY OF SPEED, for Volvo North America, the Viper Division of Chrysler, Mazda, Speedvision and Lotus US. New poster editions are always in the works. Privately-commissioned paintings hang in both the U.K. and the U.S.; requests for posters and ties arrive daily from around the world.

Simon's designs have been praised in the automotive press as "Reminiscent of the great poster designs of the '20s and '30s", and "They present clean, powerful images that define the spirit of a 'vintage' event." In all his imagery and design, his goal has been to bring back the missing elements of style, romance and panache that so characterized an earlier epoch of the automotive era.

As well as being an avid motorcar enthusiast, Simon has also had a lifelong interest in motorcycling. In fact his first "car" was a motorcycle, back in 1964 as a high school junior. Simon has been riding ever since and has owned dozens of different bikes. In recent years he has spent a few weeks each summer riding in the European Alps. This interest in motorcycles has been reflected in his professional life with commissions from clients in the motorcycle industry.