Though, the weight of wood can prove to be unwieldy, especially in comparison with its lighter car body cousins such as carbon fiber. But that has not stopped some adamantly innovative people to contrive full blown automobiles which their chassis crafted entirely of wood. So, without further ado let us check out 10 such fascinating fastidious wooden cars that can be actually driven.
10. Umut
Umut is an electric car that almost all of the exterior and the interior is made of wood. This unique car was on display at the China-Eurasia Expo held in Urumqi some time ago. Umut is completed within a period of approximately 1,000 hours in Urumqi City, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, China.
This car could be driven up to 60 kph (37.28 mph) and can travel a distance of 150 kilometers (93.21 miles) in a single rechargeable battery. The car has a larger body, with a length of more than four meters and a capacity of seven passengers. Umut priced quite expensive, which is 300,000 yuan, or about U.S. $47,000 or Rp. 538 million.
Umut is an electric car that almost all of the exterior and the interior is made of wood. This unique car was on display at the China-Eurasia Expo held in Urumqi some time ago. Umut is completed within a period of approximately 1,000 hours in Urumqi City, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, China.
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| Umut, a wooden electric cars. (Picture from: http://www.tnol.co.id/) |
9. Maniwa
Maniwa is a wooden hanmade car from the wood craftsmen who worked for a Japanese company, Sada-Kenbi. It should be noted, Maniwa could ride like a regular car and can run up to speeds of 80 kph (49.71 mph). This car does not use the steering wheel like most cars in general but as a motorcycle handlebar.
This wooden car had only one seat in front, but could carry two passengers on a wooden bench behind him and is equipped with a stereo set and a pair of cool wooden doors. This wooden car sold for U.S. $40,000 or Rp. 458 million.
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| Maniwa, A Japanese wooden car. (Picture from: http://cinta-syamsudin.blogspot.com/) |
8. 1967 Renault Rio
Grandly outfitted with a 750cc 4 Cylinder engine and a 3 speed transmission, this wooden 1967 Renault Rio is subtly smudged with an opulently regal essence. Owned by the Dezer Collection, a car museum based in North Miami, the two-seater sports car is actually built on a Renault 4 CV chassis.
The exquisite bearing with a sober finish does accentuate upon the overall appeal of the U.S. $25,000 or Rp. 286 million (base price) of the vehicle. But wait, the base price will surely go up to a more opulent stature, after the antique conception goes under the hammer.
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| 1967 Renault Rio wooden car. (Picture from: http://www.autoevolution.com/) |
7. 1997 Honda Civic
A perfect reinvention of the Honda Civic into its wooden iteration – this is one Pascal Anson’s glorious vision. Making use of some sticky backed plastic and knotty pine, he converted them into polished strips of cladding for the 1997 model.
What is even more surprising is the fact that this car was originally draped in wood with burgundy texture, but somehow Mr. Anson did not like it. Now you may ask what was the use of re-doing it again? Well, in our book, creativity is a good enough reason.
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| 1997 Honda Civic wooden car. (Picture from: http://www.automotto.com/) |
6. Maruti 800
Maruti 800 is one of the most commonest automobiles found scampering on the dusty roads of India. But, a full fledged wooden Maruti 800 can surely turn a lot of flummoxed heads. Ingeniously designed by Appar Lakshmanan, a carpenter with an experience of 25 years, this bantam wooden contraption was also aptly named as the Appar 25.
Complete with latticed wooden strip doors, a grooved bonnet and wooden seats, the final result is surely worth Rs. 280,000 or Rp. 50 million (the price paid by an art-connoisseur for the intriguing project).
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| Maruti 800 wooden car. (Picture from: http://www.automotto.com/) |
5. 1974 Volkswagen Beetle
This list would certainly remain incomplete if it did not include the venerable Volkswagen Beetle. A Bosnian auto-enthusiast going by the name of Momir Bojic has converted his 1974 model into a full-fledged sustainable wooden version.
Draped in classy oakwood, the wooden cover of the vehicle was manufactured by a process called Bentwood. In this simple process, the usable pieces of wood are steamed so that they become malleable for craftsmanship. Then they are curved during the soft stage into desired forms and then affixed to the chassis.
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| 1974 Volkswagen Beetle wooden car. (Picture from: http://www.automotto.com/) |
4. Tryane II
A
look at those shiny curves and we are surely enticed by their grandiose
demeanor. This completely handmade glossy conception created by Friend Wood, is christened as the Tryane II. |
| Tryane II wooden car. (Picture from: http://www.bornrich.com/) |
Beyond the antediluvian
visual allure, this 408 kg (900 pounds) car can actually romp up to a blistering top speed of 160 kph (100 mph). The ridiculously high performance certainly corresponds to the painstaking 2,000 work hours of labor given by the creator.
3. Ukrainian 2-Face
The front part (and one of the sides) may remind us Mafia 2′s Empire Bay City, while the rear section (along with the other side) alludes to some sprightly sports coupe. This intricately novel conception is the brainchild of Vasily Lazarenko from Ukraine, who gave one and a half years of his life to contrive his dream machine.
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| Ukrainian 2-Face wooden car. (Picture from: http://hooniverse.com/) |
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| Rear view of Ukrainian 2-Face wooden car. (Picture from: http://www.darkroastedblend.com/) |
2. Wooden Cadillac
There’s little doubt that this car is one of a kind. Jerry Nickel got the idea to build a wooden car from an article in a 1955 issue of Hot Rod magazine. Once Nickel retired from the waste collection business, he began making his dream come true. He decided to use two 500-cubic-inch Cadillac V-8 engines because someone told him it wouldn’t work. One engine and transaxle, from an Eldorado, drives the front wheels. The other engine, from a Deville, drives the rear wheels. Although the engines aren’t synchronized, Nickel said they work fine together
He spent nearly four years building this masterpiece. The body consists of laminated 1-inch strips of mahogany, 1,000 board-feet of wood (cut into 4,183 pieces), 5 gallons of glue, 60 pounds of drywall screws, and 4 gallons of varnish. Nickel has displayed his car at shows in Germany and the U.S., and he's driven it in numerous parades. (Wanna see the No. 1.) *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | DESIGN BUZZ | TOM STRONGMAN]
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| Jerry Nickel's wooden Cadillac. (Picture from: http://www.tomstrongman.com/) |
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| Interior view of Jerry Nickel's wooden Cadillac. (Picture from: http://www.tomstrongman.com/) |
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