An Awesome Drivable Origami Lexus IS Replica is Born!
Recently, Lexus and Origami have been tossed around in the same paragraphs, specifically the idea that the automaker’s recent design owes a bit to the Japanese art of paper folding. It turns out these insights were not that far off. That is, the company just unveiled an amazing, life-size (and completely faithful) replica of the new Lexus IS Saloon— made, might I add, using almost nothing but cardboard—in order to, as Lexus puts it, bring attention to and celebrate “the human craftsmanship skills that go into every car” the company produces.
“The skilled men and women—known as takumi—who work on the Lexus production line,” the automaker continued, “hone their dexterity skills by learning how to fold paper into an origami model cat, using only their non-dominant hand. The Origami Car takes the spirit of this talent to a far higher level, while also embracing the spirit of Lexus’ Creating Amazing global brand campaign.”
Lexus partnered up with the London based LaserCut Works and Scales and Models for the experience necessary in creating such a model. The designers created a virtual 3D model of the sedan, digitally slicing up the model into body, dashboard, seats, and wheels using a laser to cut up the 1,7000 sheets of 10mm-thick cardboard necessary to bring this thing to life. They then used a water-based glue that took up to 10 minutes to dry after each application, to attach all the pieces. All in all, the entire project took roughly a full three months to complete. The only part of the car not made out of stuff you can find in your own trash can, designers fished off the project by placing the cardboard car on a metal frame that features hidden wheels that are powered by an electric motor. This, of course, then makes the project drivable.
Making drivable cars out of (basically) cardboard, of course, is not necessarily an easy task. “This was a very demanding job, with five people involved in the digital design, modeling, laser cutting, and assembly” says Ruben Marcos, Scales and Models Company founder and director. “The creative process presented the team with a series of tough challenges. The seats took a few attempts to get just right and the wheels required a lot of refining.”
But those challenges were met, nonetheless. Marcos continues: “Once we could see the physical pieces taking shape, we could identify where we needed to make improvements—as with anything, there were some elements of trial and error, but as we had all the resources we needed in-house, this made the changes easier to produce.”
Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), cardboard certainly will not be the material of future Lexus automobiles. The company sees their origami car as a “modern piece of performance art,” rather than a potential product line. Either way, color us very impressed.
Keep checking back in here with us at Lexus of Highland Park for more information.
