Toyota Branches Out With a Wooden Roadster Concept

We hope it’s got coasters.

By The Editors
April 5, 2016 9:00 am

Rust won’t be an issue for Toyota’s new concept car. Dry rot, however … possible.

But highly unlikely. Built from Japanese cedar, birch and Castor-aralia, the wooden Setsuna roadster may look more boat than automobile, but trust that Toyota built this thing to make inroads to your car-loving heart.

In order to construct the vehicle’s easy-on-the-eyes exterior, Toyota designers ditched screws and nails and instead used traditional Japanese wood-joining techniques to piece together the 86 handmade panels that make up the Setsuna’s frame.  

This is all good news for people who respect wood. The Setsuna is meant to be handed down from generation to generation like a family heirloom, even outfitted with a 100-year meter that will continuously “display the passage of time throughout the history of a family,” according to Toyota.

The fully-driveable concept car will make its debut at Milan Design Week later this month.

Watch out for splinters.

(via Cool Material)

Images via Toyota

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