Toyota have created an all wooden car for Milan Design Week 2016 called ‘Sestina’.
Despite being a concept car ‘Sestina’ can drive, turn and stop. The body is composed of 86 handmade panels.
For the exterior, Japanese Cedar was selected for the refinement of its wood grain and its flexibility as a material. For the chassis, Japanese Birch was selected for its rigity. For the floor, Japanese Zelkova was selected for its strength and durability, and for the seats, the smooth-textured Castor Aralia was chosen.
Traditional Japanese techniques such as ‘Okuriari’ and ‘Kusabi’ where used joining the wood without nails or screws. ‘Okuriari’, which allows the exterior panels to be fitted and taken off without using any nails, not only increases the strength of joints but also makes it possible to make partial changes to dovetailing and mortise joints if the fastenings have worn down. Via designboom