A cabinetmaker in France has made a wooden body for a Mercedes 300 SL replica to demonstrate his workshop’s skills.
The Mercedes 300 SL was a supercar of the 1950s and early 1960s, famous for its ‘gull wing’ doors, which opened upwards from hinges set along the roofline.
It was also renowned for its curves, making the wooden body even more of a challenge.
“We did not use steam or water to bend the wood, but decided to make it by shaving the timber with chisels and planes, and sanding it to the shape we needed,” said Rémi Le Forestier, a cabinetmaker who has run his own business in Château-Thierry (Aisne) for 15 years.
He chose Asian teak for the project because of its weather-resistant properties. The car body required around 5m³ of it.
“It came to us in small, thick planks of five centimetres wide, 30cm long, and two centimetres deep,” said Mr Le Forestier.
“The car we used was a 1980s reproduction of the Mercedes 300 SL, which was in a bad way so we took off the bodywork, and used the chassis, with extra steel tubes so there was enough support underneath for the timber.”
R Le Forestier
It took Mr Le Forestier and a team of five assistants, both employees from his workshop and friends, 8,000 hours to complete the wooden bodywork.
“Once we thought we had it nearly ready, but we left it outside for too long in the rain and the wood swelled and distorted so we had to start again,” he said.
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“The car can withstand a day or two outside, but after that it got spoiled.”
Other parts of the car had to be stripped and work started again when the team realised the curves were not quite right.
After the rain experience the team used a yacht varnish to further protect the teak, taking inspiration from the famous Italian Riva motorboats, which are also made of teak.
A mechanic was bought in to do the restoration of the V8 motor and drive train.
The team used a yacht varnish to further protect the teakRémi Le Forestier
“The car drives, but will probably never get a carte grise to be allowed on the roads,” said Mr Le Forestier.
“The concept of a wooden car is too much for French bureaucrats to get their heads around.”
It is also a tonne heavier – at 2.5 tonnes – than the original 1950s cars, which means the tyres wear out quickly.
The vehicle has been put up for sale at an auction of historic cars in Tours, due to be held on November 15 and 16, with a starting price of €15,000.
“The starting price is much less than it cost us to make, but if it does not sell I will keep it to show people the sort of work we can do,” Mr Le Forestier said.
The car is not the only quirky piece of self-promotion he has made: an oak replica of the White House desk is currently in Donald Trump’s private residence in Florida.
