eVOITURETTE: an icon that got a makeover has come to life!

The vision of the eVOITURETTE was created as part of ŠKODA Storyboard’s Icons Get a Makeover series. The study’s author, Yuhan Zhang, chose the LAURIN & KLEMENT VOITURETTE A for her modern take on one of the legends of the Czech carmaker’s history. Her vision of a partly traditional but also futuristic carriage that could be used as an autonomous guide for tourists made a big impression.

eVOITURETTE vision model

That is one reason why the young Chinese designer’s vision has gone on to the next stage. Four hundred difficult hours went into the production of a real eVOITURETTE. From the outset, the model was created with the intention that it would become exhibited at the branch of the ŠKODA Museum in the house of Ferdinand Porsche’s birth in Vratislavice nad Nisou. 

A body made of artificial wood

“Due to the model’s delicacy but intended long-term use as an exhibit in the museum, emphasis was placed on high-quality workmanship,” says Vlastimil Pažout, the model’s construction coordinator. “The designer worked closely with us from the beginning. She prepared the basic data in a 3D sketch, which we then converted into production data before actually making it,” says his colleague Lukáš Hrnčíř.

Vlastimil Pažout
model construction coordinator

The need for quality and durability persuaded the modellers to use a combination of traditional and modern techniques. The main body of the model – a relatively bulky part – is milled from “artificial wood”, while many parts come from a 3D printer. “For example, we printed the logo and some of the finer parts, such as the holder of the interactive display that forms the dashboard,” says Yuhan Zhang. One special feature of the model is the LED backlighting of certain parts: in her sketches, the artist included the LEDs as a kind of communication tool between the vehicle and its surroundings, so the modellers incorporated them into the real-life model.

In addition to the designer, modellers and constructors, other members of the ŠKODA Design team, such as those from the Colour & Trim department, were involved in the creation of the model, as well as members of the ŠKODA Museum team. “After consulting with experts from the museum we changed the model’s colour scheme. Unlike the original design with its shades of blue, we opted for a more distinctive red and white colour combination that reinforces the link between past and future,” explains Yuhan Zhang. But in all other regards the model is faithful to the sketch, including all details and proportions, which remained changed.

A dream weighing ten kilos 

During the construction process, however, some specific parts were modified to make the model look as good as possible. “Probably the most important change was to the surface of the seat. It was originally supposed to be painted, but in the end we covered the seat with fabric in cooperation with the Colour & Trim department,” says Pažout. The seat has even been given additional stitching buttons, so it looks very realistic indeed. “Due to the thickness of the fabric, this made it necessary to remake the 3D printed parts of the seat,” says Hrnčíř.

Lukáš Hrnčíř
model construction coordinator

“It was a short and intense project, which brought my dream to life. It was fun to let my imagination run wild and not have to stick within today’s technical limitations,” says Yuhan Zhang, describing her feelings about working on eVOITURETTE. Visitors to the Ferdinand Porsche Birth House can now see the talented Chinese designer’s dream for themselves. Measuring 688 x 355 x 327 mm and weighing almost 10 kilograms, the model is a new exhibit in the permanent exposition there.