Wooden #Setsuna Concept Car Is a Work of Art [Auto Styling News]

Toyota's Setsuna concept is made of wood. It's therefore a ridiculous concept, right? Well...

The Setsuna defies the notion that cars should only be seen as industrial products loaded with the latest technologies. 

Toyota says this unique wooden roadster was conceived to embody the affection owners grow to feel for their cars, and to show how cars continue to change and offer new value as they are taken care of with love over time.

Traditional Japanese techniques such as okuriari and kusabi were used so that the wood could be joined 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. 

This means it's possible to continue using the car without additional processing of the main body. In joints of the frame, split tenons are fastened to through tenons that have been pushed through several parts to hold the frame together. 

The Setsuna's body is composed of 86 handmade panels. Considerable thought was given to the design and creation of each panel from the outset, and each of these panels will develop and change differently as the car ages. Eventually, when repairs become necessary, individual panels can be replaced rather than needing to replace the entire body.

Small details, like the beautifully crafted wooden mirrors, really make this a work of art as much as a design study. The lacquer finish used on parts of the vehicle has been carefully applied by hand. To bring out the grain of the wood, wipe-lacquering has been used for the door mirrors, seats, steering wheel, and body banding lines. 

Rather than normal lacquer, which is applied in layers, this method involves repeatedly applying lacquer to the surface and wiping it to set the lacquer along the grain of the wood, creating a combined texture from the wood grain and the lacquer. The intensity and color will change with use over time, becoming even more beautiful and evoking a completely unique impression at different moments spread out in time.