Breadvan_update_016: Clay development

Breadvan Hommage – Iterative redesign

Back to the workshop again. On top of the custom made frame, the very first clay has been attached. The surface of the clay is still rough at this stage. The synthetic material is heated so the team can attach it to the car in its soft status. The sketches and the renderings shown last week went through a large amount of iteration. This will be repeated in the clay. This material will be continuously developed and redesigned. Over and over again. The coachbuilder will eventually translate the clay into the aluminium body. This is done by moulds made out of a flexible tape. The coming weeks however the artistry and expertise of the coachbuilder will be first needed with the shaping the clay.

Making a coachbuilt car

At the same time the input of design is equally important. Making a coachbuilt car truly is a hand in hand process. The interpretation of volumes, shapes and surfaces from paper to plasticine needs all hands on deck. On one of the images a mock-up of the rear window can be seen, made out of aluminium. The coachbuilder will use this as a rigid base to model the clay around. Later a final piece of aluminium will be shaped. This will be done when a definitive design of the rear end including the window has been made. This piece will be the mould for the glass maker.

Breadvan Hommage a truly personal collaboration

This labour intensive, hand-finished unique sports car is not just a collaboration between different craftspeople. It also is a truly personal collaboration between the design team and the patron. It ranges from subtle customisations all the way to bold statements. These individual details can only be designed by input from the owner of the vehicle.

Customising and personalising a coachbuilt

The more finalised surfaces of the car won’t be visible for quite a while, but once the first exterior iteration has been completed in clay, we will share it here. The tailored body modifications are rather demanding however. The customising and personalising of this coachbuilt car will need to go through many steps of redesign. Only then the clay will be good enough base for the aluminium bodywork. One of the most prominent changes visible at this early stage is the new shape of the side window graphic. This now lines-up with the windscreen. Ensuring a visor-like appearance of the windscreen and side windows. This means a redesign of the roof, which now runs lower compared to the base car. New, lower side windows have to be custom made too.