Car companies regularly make clay models of their cars with some costing as much as $650,000 and this is why

Carmakers will part with hundreds of thousands of dollars to create life-sized clay models of their vehicles, and it’s one of the most important steps in the process.

When you think of car manufacturing, you probably think of materials like carbon fiber, aluminum, and steel, but almost all cars begin life as a clay model. 

Whether building a Ford daily driver or a Bugatti supercar, clay models are used as part of the production process. 

Carmakers have been using clay for decades, and experts say they won’t be going away anytime soon – here’s why.

DISCOVER SBX CARS – The global premium auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie  

Carmakers can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on clay models

Before any car goes into production, there’s a whole heap of work done behind the scenes – from design and development to testing and certification. 

Design is one of the first – and most important steps – of the process. 

Usually beginning with a handful of rough sketches on paper, these days the design process typically involves specialist software and virtual reality so carmakers can get an idea of how the car will look. 

But to get a true feel for how the car will look, carmakers will make a 1:1 clay model. 

A special oil-based clay is used because traditional ceramic clay dries too quickly. 

The clay is heated for about a day to make it pliable, and then it’s molded over foam blocks at a thickness of between one to four inches. 

Once the clay has cooled slightly, a milling machine can be used to create the basic shape of the car. 

But after that, expert clay modellers are called in to carefully carve out and sculpt key details, such as hood lines, rooflines, and fenders. 

The process can take upwards of a year to complete, and it doesn’t come cheap. 

Luxury carmakers, like Bugatti, can spend more than $650,000 for a single clay model. 

Here’s why experts say clay is here to stay

Although clay modeling is expensive, and design technology is becoming more advanced, experts say carmakers will still use clay. 

Firstly, they can be used to test out the car’s aerodynamics in a way that virtual modeling can’t. 

The clay models can be placed in wind tunnels to give engineers a solid understanding of drag, and clay modellers are there to make any changes on the spot. 

However, the main reason carmakers still go for clay is that it allows them to see how the car will actually look in real life. 

“You’re trying to create something that will grab somebody’s attention, and it will almost get the heartstrings going, get the emotions going,” exterior model manager at Bentley, Mark Sadler, told Business Insider. 

“And sometimes, you just can’t quite get it there with digital or VR.”

So it seems as though clay is here to stay.

DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie