This Sleek Wooden Car Is Like Nothing We've Seen Before
When it comes to the construction of modern supercars, certain materials spring to mind. Carbon fiber. Titanium. Aramid weave. Gearhead dreams and the fancies of automotive engineers tend to feature shiny, expensive, occasionally spider-inspired materials. Some things just feel like the future. But what about wood?
In at least one case, a brilliant motorhead has used one of humanity's oldest building materials to create something wholly new. Exciting envy in the hearts of young Pinewood Derby racers across the world, Vietnamese engineer Dao Truong Van has built a complete replica of the mind-bending Mercedes Vision AVTR concept car out of wood and scrap metal he collected from around his home.
As Supercar Blondie reports, Dao Truong Van was inspired by Mercedes's commitment to using solely recycled materials in the AVTR's manufacture. He thought he'd go one better and build a replica using materials that were not only recycled but that he sourced himself and would go to waste otherwise.
Sustainable supercars through engineering ingenuity
The wooden AVTR isn't Dao Truong Van's only project. The artist/engineer has an active social media presence, particularly a thriving TikTok. There, he posts videos of the whole process of taking material otherwise destined for landfills and turning them into loving replicas of the world's most desirable vehicles. Recent projects include a Lamborghini Vision, a Tiger Tank, and a complete train for his family.
Obviously, these vehicles aren't one-to-one equivalents of their rarified originals. Leaving aside the difference in materials, Dao Truong Van's wooden wonders are generally about one-third the size of the original vehicles. At the same time, each replica has room for at least one occupant and is entirely drivable by way of a joystick in the cockpit.
Per his TikTok, Dao Truong Van views his work as an ongoing art project. By making such convincing replicas from easily sourced waste materials, he demonstrates a potential strategy for car manufacturers to continue delivering engineering masterworks in a sustainable, environmentally friendly way.