Robbie Klay from Kleinmond posed an interesting question about car modelling to SuperSpark.

Dear SuperSpark,

As a little boy I often built my dream cars from clay. Now it seems I wasn’t far off the mark as some motor manufacturers do the same in their design process?

SuperSpark replies

Dear Robbie,

You are absolutely right, while a bit more advanced, full-size clay modelling remains a crucial part of the Ford design process, enabling engineers and designers to identify issues that are not apparent on digital or small-scale models.

And even as we live in a world of digital design and new technology, Ford believes nothing beats building a full-size clay model of a vehicle. These clay models remain an important part of Ford's creative design process, helping designers spot issues in both the interior and exterior of a vehicle.

When a design is still fluid, clay allows immediate reviews and feedback so necessary for working in a collaborative atmosphere.

And building these models requires a lot of clay. Ford uses around ninety tonnes of clay every year to construct full-size vehicle models. For example, a recent full-size model built to design was composed of over 850kg of clay - and designers spent 20,000 hours modelling it over four years!


Best,

SuperSpark