Wood has always been a noble and valuable trim material. Naturally, wood has been naturally present in the automotive world as the main material for body construction and interior trim since the very first automobiles.
The amazing thing here is that, even 100 years after the formation of the automobile industry, interior elements in modern cars are still being finished with precious wood species. But not all types of car interior wood finishes are the same. It all depends on the brand and model of the car, where the interior can be finished with mahogany or other types of precious wood. Let’s find out together, dear friends, what kind of wood nowadays can be found in modern cars.
1) Ash
Did you know that the very first airplane models were made of ash wood? Ash wood is very strong and lightweight at the same time. Also, ash wood itself is elastic. That is why bows and baseball bats are made from this wood.
The first cars in the auto industry also had a wooden body made of ash wood. For example, Morgan Motor Company equipped its first cars with ash wood elements that could bend without much damage under the same suspension load. Currently, ash is used in the automotive industry only as interior trim. But it is not met so often.
2) Mahogany
Mahogany is a very valuable wood, which has been used for a long time for home and office decoration, and also for luxury interiors of many luxury cars. So why has this material become so popular in the automotive industry itself and mainly among manufacturers of exclusive cars? The answer.
And it’s all about its amazingly beautiful ruby color and the unique structure of the wood fibers. The interesting thing here is that the older the mahogany wood is, the deeper its ruby color will be traced. In addition, mahogany is a fairly durable material that is resistant to rot.
Especially mahogany is valued by carpenters and joiners in carpentry workshops, and all thanks to one of its properties, namely, this type of wood easily holds a given form. For example, the interior of a Porsche Cayman can currently be finished in mahogany (as an option).
3) Sapele
Sapele wood is native to Central and West Africa. It is the most popular wood for creating expensive furniture and musical instruments. The appearance of Sapele resembles mahogany. The distinctive feature of this wood is the homogeneous structure of the wood fibers and a certain pattern on the cut itself, which shines amazingly in the most natural way.
Most often this type of wood is used by the designers of Cadillac, which is literally a fan of Sapele wood. The company offers two styles of Sapele wood trim on its cars: Nutella and Raven.
Japanese designers have also paid attention to Sapele, and they have started using this wood for the interior trimming of the Lexus RX 2016 model year. However, Lexus designers first bleach the Sapele wood, and then paint the wood gray, giving it a more elegant appearance. This is done to make the wood look even richer.
4) Bamboo
Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants on earth. For example, some of its species (bamboo) grows at a rate of 90 centimeters per day. Bamboo is one of the most accessible and easy to replenish natural materials in the world. With its unique beige color, bamboo can complement any dark interior very nicely. When exposed to bright light, bamboo’s texture can resemble the color of brushed aluminum.
The company “Lexus” nowadays very often uses bamboo for the finishing of the interiors of its modern cars. Usually designers of Lexus use light colors of bamboo in the interior of cars. But, for example, the company “BMW” prefers to use bamboo, which is painted in dark and glossy colors.
In addition to all this, bamboo is one of the lightest materials, which is very actual for car manufacturers, as in recent years in the fight for efficiency, reducing the weight of the car has become more urgent than everything else. In fact, every year it becomes more and more difficult to reduce the fuel consumption of a car. These days, saving a few grams in car weight is already an achievement. That’s why many car companies are so keen to use bamboo as an interior trim material.
5) Reclaimed Wood
In recent years, it has become very fashionable for many designers, architects and carpenters to create beautiful products using finishing materials. For example, many designers around the world are now going to the ends of the earth for old wood, barn wood or antique wood.
Thus many designers of the world are now ready to go even to the swamps of New Zealand to find centuries-old wood that has been cut down for centuries. Or at any time are also willing to fly to Venice, in search of old jointed posts. Also read what size is a 35 inch tire.
This vogue for old wood has also come to the auto industry, which, after being recycled, is subsequently turned into unique products and expensive finishes. Recycled old wood has become especially popular and is used in the manufacture of concept cars or luxury luxury luxury cars, where the interior finish must be high-quality, top-notch and exclusive.
The thing here is this: when using not very old wood, no modern technology can reproduce the unique texture of the old wood, which has been slowly aging for a long time and over time has acquired its unique look. It is this same look that gives the old wood a valuable vintage style in interior decoration. For example, recently the company “RAM2” began offering an exclusive vintage wood interior trim for an additional fee.
6) Walnut
Rolls-Royce states that only one wood is used to finish one car. This is to ensure that the texture and color of this wood matches as closely as possible with all interior elements. Traditionally and always in Rolls-Royce cars, a lot of wood is used.
For this purpose, a millimeter-thick walnut wood veneer is taken and everything is cut by hand, then combined and glued together. It takes about 30 days to make one piece of veneer. The walnut veneer has been used for decades as a trim material for Rolls-Royce interiors. However, any other wood species can also be finished to the customer’s order.
For example, in the model Rolls-Royce Ghost “Majestic Horse Edition” in 2014 the company’s designers used several types of precious wood, namely American walnut, maple, stained oak, figurative elements of Anegre and mahogany.
