The Wooden 'Concept' Vintage Sports Car That Took Over 4,500 Hours To Build

Ridiculous Rides

WITH a cruising speed of 55mph, this wooden car is a carpentry project with a difference. Created by Romanian Peter Szabo, the vehicle took more than 4,500 hours to build over three years and cost around $20,000 in hard ash wood. Nicknamed ‘Julia', the vehicle combines the retro lines and old school growl of a classic automobile with modern innovations such as tablet-controlled headlights and music. Now complete, he likes nothing better than driving the unique car around his home village - and receiving admiring waves from his neighbours.  Videographer / director: Robert Nemeti Producer: Crystal Chung, Nick Johnson Editor: Jack Stevens

Transcript

00:00I wanted to do something absolutely unique.

00:19I had a vision for a certain form of a car.

00:24For me it was always a big happiness to design

00:28and I like to mix the modern line with the retro, classical lines.

00:35Julia is a one-off wooden concept car built by carpenter Peter Szabo,

00:40a Hungarian who now lives in Romania.

00:43He got the idea around three and a half years ago

00:46while finishing another project.

00:49I was building a wooden carriage, a horse carriage

00:52and when I was finishing I said I would like to try out also to build a car,

00:57a wooden car.

00:58I wanted to do something which doesn't exist all around the world.

01:03You can find a hard wood concept car, very good quality.

01:08It is almost impossible to find all around the world.

01:12Peter's original design drawings took him a couple of days

01:15and then he spent a month making a one to ten scale maquette.

01:19I was working with one of my friends, Matthias Szabo.

01:22He was the leader of the technical and electronic work,

01:26and mechanical work.

01:28And after one year I had to make a bigger

01:33atelier workshop because my workshop wasn't enough.

01:36So after a couple of months I started to build a car,

01:40the car, the carousery, the body of the car on ash wood.

01:46The whole process took three years and eight months.

01:49It costed 18,000 euro for me and 4,500 an hour.

01:55But also a happy time because I was crazy to work with

02:00and it was a big happiness for me to build it up.

02:05Julia has the axles and gearbox from a 1983 Ford Taunus.

02:10The car that also provided her with her 110 horsepower V6 engine.

02:15It is not important to have big speed with.

02:18Until now I have tried only here in the village.

02:22It was 80, 90 km per hour.

02:25But I think in a highway it could go faster.

02:29Peter has combined traditional carpentry with modern technology.

02:33With that tablet you are touching the screen and the lamps,

02:37the GPS and the music.

02:39The car was shown off to great acclaim

02:42at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2015.

02:45Every positive reaction of people makes me happy.

02:49In Romania a lot of people are working with their hands.

02:53They know to build up something with your own hands.

02:56It's rather difficult and they appreciate it.

03:00I am happy when I see their face and their reaction about it.

03:05Given the amount of time Peter spent on the car,

03:08thankfully his family approved.

03:10My wife and our children, they are proud of this car.

03:14And of their father.

03:17And he's already thinking about his next project.

03:20I have already in my mind a futuristical design for a car,

03:24or a soft auto boot, but with an electric engine.

03:31I've got a lot of people on the road.

03:33And that's a good way.

03:34That's how we can fix it.

03:35By the way, to the airport,

03:36I've got a few bikes.

03:37And so, I haven't had a car.

03:39And it's a good idea.

03:40But what I'm going to do now,

03:41my parents, I'll be able to get on the car.

03:42And I'm going to ride the car.

03:43And it's a good idea of the car.

03:45So what I'm going to do now I'm going to do now,

03:47I'm going to do now.

03:48I'm going to do now.

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