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

What began as a young designer’s vision of the car of the future has been transformed into a real model. The incarnation of the eVOITURETTE vision can be seen in the ŠKODA Museum’s exposition at the Ferdinand Porsche Birth House.

6. 7. 2021 Škoda World DESIGN

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.

How we made eVOITURETTE model

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.

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.

FERDINAND PORSCHE BIRTH HOUSE

The Ferdinand Porsche Birth House in the Vratislavice district of the city of Liberec is where motoring tradition meets the future. Visitors can explore Czech industrial traditions, engineering and enthusiasm for technology. The building has been owned by ŠKODA since 2011 and was renovated in 2016 to restore it to its proportions and appearance from 1875, when the famous constructor Ferdinand Porsche was born there. The museum is normally open from Friday to Sunday from 9 am to 5 pm; visits on other days are possible by prior arrangement with the ŠKODA Museum Visitor Service. A visit to the house can be combined with a trip to the ŠKODA Museum for a discounted combined admission fee. For more information, click here.