The Art Of Clay Modelling

IN THE HIGH-STAKES WORLD OF CAR DESIGN, EXECUTIVES WANT THE NUMBERS, THE FAST FACTS, THE BOTTOM LINE … AND SOME DUDES WHO ARE REALLY GOOD WITH THEIR HANDS. BECAUSE WHEN IT COMES TO SHAPING THE CARS OF THE FUTURE, CLAY REMAINS KING

- Alex Inwood

“AND THIS…,” says the compact and impeccably dressed form of Holden’s head of design, Richard Ferlazzo, “…is our modeling studio.” He pauses for a moment, as though for dramatic effect, before pressing his security pass to the door to reveal a top-secret design studio that looks, well, exactly like you imagine it would.

Bright and open, with softly diffused light and a laid-back ‘creative vibe’ (all that’s missing are some beanbags and a ping-pong table), its focal points are three full-sized clay models that sit on axle stands at even intervals around the large room. Around them mill a handful of casually dressed designers, their heads tilting and turning like inquisitive birds as they step back to take in new perspectives of their creations.

But it’s the clay modelers (or ‘clay sculptors’ as some like to be called) who we’ve come to see. They’re easy to spot, these masters of muck, these titans of terracotta – just look for the clay caked fingernails.

Yet they’re also exceptionally easy to dismiss. Surely, in this digital age of computer-aided design (CAD), of 3D printers, and of virtual reality headsets, the need to use thousands of kilos of clay and to spend thousands of man hours carefully crafting full-sized models out of mud is now largely irrelevant? It’s all a little ‘old school’, isn’t it?

Suggest such a notion to Ferlazzo, and he smiles and then shakes his head.