Consumables
Curiouser and curiouser: How a car was made entirely from paper
Monday 08. August 2022 - When London-based Scottish paper artist Kyla McCallum was commissioned by automotive manufacturer Lexus to create a model car made of paper, she turned to paper manufacturer Antalis for advice on suitable materials.
The scaled car, complete with a paper city though which it cruises, features in a promotional video created by Lexus in tribute to Takumi craftsmanship. The paper car model was built on top of a remote controlled chassis, on a 1:10 scale and included over 100 individual parts.
Crucial to taking the project from concept to reality was the choice of paper to be used. Kyla McCallum of Foldability chose three papers from Antalis to craft the paper city and Lexus UX300e:
Curious Alchemy Silver, 300gsm
Curious Alchemy Titanium, 300gsm
Curious Metallics Electric Blue, 120gsm
The car
Curious Metallics Electric Blue was chosen as it is almost an exact match to the paintwork on the Lexus UX 300e featured in the video. Kyla comments, “The Curious Metallics Electric Blue, 120gsm, was really easy to cut and mould into shape, and it didnt pucker easily, which was great.”
The city
Curious Alchemy Silver and Titanium were chosen for the paper city to create a Metropolis feel.
The tallest building was over two metres high and therefore required a stiff and robust paper; 300gsm Curious Alchemy proved ideal.
The paper Lexus took five and a half weeks to make and the entire project took over four months to complete, from the initial concept through to filming the final set.
Creative Papers Sales Manager at Antalis, Vicky Weatherington comments: “We have been excited to witness the progress of the project- its a great example of the versatility of paper. Were seeing more big brands turn to paper for their creative output and its fascinating to see the extraordinary creativity that results.”