The automotive industry is investing in new technologies, such as wood panels replacing steel in car chassis, seats, and body parts.
Last year, Wood Central reported that a Citroen 2CV made from wood went under the hammer for 210,000 euros – the first fully functioning wooden car sold at auction – in France.
Now, a YouTuber in Vietnam has built a full-size replica of the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen out of wood. As reported in Car Expert yesterday, the car—which started as an early 1990s Mitsubishi Pajero—was stripped back to a bare chassis before having pieces of wood added piece by piece to recreate a G-Wagon over a 180-day period.
The YouTuber in question, ND-Woodworking Art, is no stranger to timber-based automotive art – and has already recreated a Ford F150 Raptor, a Rolls Royce Phantom, a Telsa Cybertruck, and even a Wooden Tank!
It’s unclear just how much this wooden Wagen weighs. However, the YouTube artist claims that the entire project cost US $100,000 (or AU $151,300), or less than half the price of a Mercedes-AMG G63—though at least in the latter, you get a twin-turbo V8 engine and no risk of splinters in a crash.
- To find out how timber and timber-based products are now being used to produce the next generation of car batteries, windows, doors, chassis and smart interiors, click here for Wood Central’s special feature.
