Lexus commissioned designers from London-based companies LaserCut Works and Scales and Models to create the one-of-a-kind sedan in the image of their IS saloon. The team used 1,700 laser-cut cardboard sheets, each 10 millimeter thick slice hand-glued to the other with a 10-minute set time between layers to allow proper adhesion. The origami-influenced project, which celebrates the human craftsmanship behind Lexus cars, took three months to complete.

The team worked off a 3D model of the original car, which they divided into principal parts, including the main body, dashboard, seats, fitted interior, functional doors, headlights and wheels. An internal steel and aluminum frame supports the electric motor that powers the car. Each of the cardboard layers had a unique reference number to make sure that they connected in the correct sequence.

“This was a very demanding job, with five people involved in the digital design, modelling, laser cutting and assembly,” said Scales and Models founder Ruben Marcos, “The seats took a few attempts to get just right and the wheels required a lot of refining. Once we could see the physical pieces taking shape, we could identify where we needed to make improvements.”

“As with anything, there were some elements of trial and error, but as we had all the resources we needed in-house, this made the changes easier to produce,” he continued. See the process in the video below:

[youtube]https://youtu.be/3F7DnWAhox8[/youtube]

The cardboard Origami Car will be on show as part of the Grand Designs Live event at the National Exhibition Centre taking place in Birmingham, UK, until 11 October 2015. More of a one-off kinetic sculpture than a practical mode of transport, and absolutely vulnerable to fire and rain, this oddity still makes more sense than the gold-plated sports car and a coin-covered Camaro seen on Arab Gulf roads.

Images from Scale and Models website

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Gafni experimented with several prototypes before coming up with the winning design.

Made out of corrugated cardboard sheets, the bicycle can withstand up to 140kg.

In some cases, the cardboard is rolled up to give it strength.

Engineers told Gafni it would be impossible to build a bicycle out of cardboard, but he persevered (at his wife’s behest.)

In Israel, bicycles are regularly stolen. Gafni’s design is so cheap that it’s not worth stealing, he told local media.

Early prototypes looked like delivery boxes on wheels, he said. But the final design, for cardboard, is pretty darn sleek. At least we think so.

This is definitely not a winner!

But this one is.

Although it costs only 9-12 USD in materials, Gafni sells his cardboard bike for USD 60; still, that’s a steal for a simple whip around.

Izhar Gafni: the man who defied the naysayers and followed his dream.

Photography: Uri Ackerman

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