The “Tryane II” is a one-of-a-kind, hand-made wooden car, put together with a process similar to that used by boat builders, described by its creator Friend Wood (no joke) as “dozens of narrow strips of mahogany veneer, glued with epoxy resin, laid in 3 layers over a male mould.”
I measured the 2CV components before making some 1/5th scale drawings of the proposed car. I then carved a similar scale body model to check the drawings. Once satisfied I drew out the lines full size on two sheets of hardboard. From these lines I constructed a male mould made from chipboard formers and softwood laths to the shape of the body shell. On to this mould I stapled and glued three layers of l.5mm mahogany veneers, This process took over 600 hours and 20,000 staples, all of which were pulled out when the glue was dry.
The whole thing only weighs 900 pounds, making it capable of 70 to 90 miles per gallon.
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