The process of creating a car begins with a sketch on a sheet of paper where the contours and shapes are traced, and so is that of the brand’s first electrified SUV, the Cupra Terramar (design story in A&D no. 269). To arrive at the final design, those same lines are modified, literally sculpted over and over again, until the perfect proportions are achieved. ‘We draw the essence of the model, we transform it digitally to understand its volumes, but if we really want to feel the surfaces and see if the proportions work, we need a full-scale model,’ explains Alberto Torrecillas, exterior designer at Cupra. This is where clay comes into its own.
In one of the rooms of the Cupra Technical Centre, Alberto analyses the full-scale Cupra Terramar in one of the states prior to what we will see in the final project. Looking at it from the side, covered by a vinyl simulating paint, it looks like a completely real model. It is a fully exposed, earth-coloured mock-up. A model made from over five thousand kilograms of clay, automatically milled according to precise parameters and then polished by hand, in which every detail of the surface has been sculpted with millimetric precision. ‘Proportions are essential in our models. We define them in the sketches we make, but we can only really appreciate them in the physical replicas in clay,’ says the designer.
For Terramar, for example, this phase of the design process was crucial because ‘being an SUV, we wanted to emphasise its broad 4.5 metre proportions, making the body colour the main protagonist of the model, while maintaining an athletic and sporty sculpture. And the best way to appreciate this is the clay model,’ he adds. Combination of craftsmanship and technology. Although the latest technologies and digital tools are a fundamental part of the design process, making full-scale clay models is an essential part of the validation process.
Feel the model. Another reason why this phase is so important for the design department is that it allows them to touch and feel each outer surface. ‘For us, every shape, every line, every contour has a meaning and expresses an intention. Only by touching the surfaces can we understand if they will work, in terms of design,’ says Alberto. Immediacy and precision. Another advantage is speed. Clay is malleable, easy to use and makes any changes immediately visible. ‘The lines of the Terramar bonnet are one of the key elements of the front as they frame our logo. Using clay was key to finding and immediately seeing which section allowed us to emphasise them’.
