This car is known to automotive historians as the Soybean car (“soy car”), it did not have its own name. The idea of a plastic car came to Henry Ford in the late 1930s, and he entrusted the development to his designer, Eugene Gregory. Dissatisfied with the progress of development, Ford handed over the task to a laboratory in Greenfield Village, developing plastics from soybeans and other crops under the direction of engineer Lowell Overly.
By 1941, the concept was developed plastic suitable for the manufacture of body panels, the design of the car was based on the developments of Gregory, and August 13, 1941 "soy Ford" was presented to the public. Big money was invested in the project. Ford had 12,000 acres of soybean fields to experiment with and claimed he could "grow cars in a garden" after the war. Historians still do not understand why the extremely conservative and already very elderly at that time Ford undertook such a project at all. Someone even wrote that it was “senile insanity” (Ford turned 78 in 1941). 
The basis of the machine was tubular frame, on which 14 body panels were attached, made from a composite based on soy, but including hemp, wheat, flax and ramie (Chinese nettle). As a result, the car weighed 860 kg - 25% less than the average car of this class at the time. Engineers were strictly forbidden to disclose the composition of the composite. Lowell Overly let slip several times in interviews that phenol-formaldehyde resin is included in the composition, but nothing more. 
There are legends that a second similar car was made for Ford himself - but there is no real evidence for this. More of these cars were not built, and all of Ford's energy went to military supplies. Sometime during the war, the Soybean car was destroyed on the instructions of Eugene Gregory (apparently he followed Ford's orders in turn) so that the secret of the composite remained within the company. And full-fledged plastic cars appeared only after the war. 
Once upon a time, at the dawn of chemical technology, plastic parts were perceived as something frivolous and no one thought about their use in the automotive industry. Now everything is different: without the use of plastic, even the cheapest car is not produced.
Thanks to widespread use Plastics cars have become much more comfortable, more technologically advanced, more affordable. Indeed, the absence of plastic elements in the middle of the twentieth century caused a lot of inconvenience to car owners. For example, water could easily get inside the car during rain (now modern plastic seals on windows and doors protect against such troubles). On a hot day, the driver had to wear gloves so that the hard rubber steering wheel did not slip in his hands (today, modern plastics from which the steering wheel is made do not cause such inconvenience). It was usually noisy inside the car (there were no sound-absorbing composite materials widely used now), the seats were often wiped (there were no polyurethane coatings), the driver had to carry spare belts for engine elements with him (modern belts using heavy-duty plastics break much less often), and metal bumpers often bent, torn off and rusted over time (now plastic body kit vehicle is stronger and more durable).
If in the 1950s and 1960s medium car contained only about ten kilograms of plastic, then in modern car up to 100-150 kilograms of plastic materials will be accumulated, which can be found everywhere in the design: in the suspension, in the engine, in electrical wiring, on the body, in the interior trim. The advantages of plastic parts for automotive technologists are obvious: they are durable, do not suffer from rust, while their strength is often not inferior to steel. In addition, plastics are lightweight, which means that they can significantly reduce the weight of the car, increase its dynamic characteristics and, which is very important now, to reduce fuel consumption. Still plastics are more affordable than some expensive items from of stainless steel or non-ferrous metals. Finally, they are easier to work with and can produce unusual shapes and colors, which is very attractive to automotive designers.
To replace steel
In the advance of plastic on automotive industry leading positions for German companies. In the middle of the 20th century, large German chemical concerns began to actively develop plastic materials that could be used in the manufacture of automobiles. Moreover, exactly German companies first decided to make the car entirely of plastic. This possibility was announced in the early 1960s by experts from Bayer MaterialScience, a division of the largest German chemical and pharmaceutical concern Bayer AG. They suggested using a structure made of the so-called polyurethane sandwich for the supporting base of the body - a plastic material that turned out to be little susceptible to external influences. In the spring of 1967, such a body was first presented at the Hanover Industrial Exhibition. And already in the fall, by the beginning of the K-1967 exhibition, solutions were found for manufacturing the roof, hood, fenders, shock absorber and other body parts from polymer materials. For interior decoration car technologists also picked up suitable plastics.
This is how the first layer appeared. mass car» LEV-K-67. He officially received a license plate and was certified for use on the roads. common use. It is noteworthy that so far this car has been tested on the track and, among other things, meets all safety requirements. And since 1978, the LEV-K-67 model has taken a place in the "Transport" section of the famous Munich Deutsches Museum as good example successful use of plastics in the automotive industry.
The technological ideas that originated in the LEV-K-67 model received further development. For example, while working on a project, Bayer technologists developed a special material for car seats based on molded polyurethane. Later it began to be applied to Volkswagen cars. Prior to this, chairs were made from rubber fiber - a natural material combined with latex, less strong and durable. New chairs relieved motorists of these inconveniences.
A great resonance in the automotive industry was also caused by the appearance of Bayflex elastic foam, which was first used for the production of armrests in popular model Volkswagen Beetle("Bug"). It opened up the opportunity for automakers to create pleasant to the touch plastic elements in the cabin. Bayflex began to be actively used in the production of bumpers. Plastic bumpers in 1969, Porsche was one of the first to introduce - the protective elements on the body of the car did not bend with small blows and did not come off during unsuccessful maneuvers. Over time, all world manufacturers began to produce plastic bumpers.
And polyurethane foam generally made a small revolution. On Volkswagen cars, for the first time, they began to fill the empty spaces of the body with this material, which reduced the risk of corrosion and at times the noise level.
Since the 1970s, all the world's automakers have been well aware of such plastic materials from Germany as Leguval, Novodur, Pocan, Bayblend, Durethan, Makrolon, Baydur, Bayflex, Termaloy. Of these, they begin to actively produce radiator grilles, moldings, rear lights, door details, door handles, exterior mirrors, wheel covers, headlights, instrument panels, wipers and many other car parts.
Completely plastic
Leading German chemical companies are currently working on expanding the presence of plastic materials in the car. Bayer MaterialScience alone annually invests 240 million euros in such research. These funds are used to create new types of plastic materials with unique consumer properties.
Great hopes today are associated with technologies for integrating carbon nanoparticles into some types of plastic. The result is plastics with unique electrical conductivity properties, making them more widely used in various details engine and electronic systems.
Plastics have been developed that are very resistant to aggressive external influences, for example, to very hot engine oil. This makes it possible to use plastic materials for transmission controls and other engine and transmission parts that come into contact with hot oils and where heat resistance characteristics are critical.
Top of the dreams of plastics developers - all-plastic body stock car. Today, many automakers are already making some models from plastic cases. However, heavy-duty composite materials are still expensive pleasure, and only expensive ones have the right to receive such a body small-scale cars, for example, premium sports cars that, thanks to their light weight, can reach impressive speeds on the road. But in the future, technologists hope to reduce the cost of plastic production so that the mass production of plastic bodies becomes a reality.
Those who doubt that machines made of plastic can be even stronger than those made of steel can be advised to get acquainted with the developments Porsche. Back in 1986, at the K-1986 exhibition in Düsseldorf, this automaker demonstrated to visitors a new plastic body. Those wishing to test its strength could press the button, and the body with great strength immediately hit the wall. During the exhibition, the plastic car was subjected to such a "crash test" countless times and at the same time remained absolutely safe and sound.
Perhaps the most widespread Renault Espace, which in the first generation acquired plastic body panels that were bolted to an aluminum frame. That is, it is essentially eternal car. It is not surprising that, looking at the cars of the first years of production, you somehow do not notice holes in the body. Renault Espace of the first generation can be bought today for 2,000 rubles. So much in our catalog is asked for a car manufactured in 1990 with a mileage of 333,000 km. It has a two-liter petrol engine and a manual transmission. Yes, the years have not spared this car, but not a speck of rust! Few cars of the first generation survived, but the second generation Espace with the same plastic body is sold more.
The minimum price for a second-generation car is 3,000 rubles. So much asking for a copy of 1993 release. True, it may confuse the fact that under the hood of the car is a 2.8-liter gasoline engine. He is, of course, powerful, but very gluttonous. The price ceiling for second-generation cars is 6,000 rubles. For that kind of money, you will get a 1995 car with a mileage of 270,000 km with a two-liter gasoline engine And gas equipment.
By the way, you can look at the machines of the third generation, which continued glorious tradition the first two do not rust in any conditions.
Renault Espace 1997 release with a mileage of 279,000 km is offered for 5,534 rubles. Under the hood is an eight-valve two-liter gasoline engine seasoned with gas equipment. There is a mass nice extras like Webasto and excellent condition mechanical part.
The most expensive option is a car made in 2002 with a mileage of 270,000 km. They ask for it as much as 14,288 rubles. Somehow expensive, even if you believe in the words about the native mileage and flattered by a 1.9-liter diesel engine.
espace fourth generation had a load-bearing steel body, but it can be safely attributed to stainless steel of the second order - the tailgate and front fenders are plastic, and the side doors and hood are aluminum, so you won’t wait for rust on them. Strength elements bodies are steel, but they will rust only in the event of an emergency past.
The minimum price for a fourth-generation car is 8653 rubles. So much is asked for a 2003 Renault Espace with a mileage of 196,000 km. Under the hood, he has a 2.2-liter diesel engine 150 hp The package is traditionally rich - leather interior, climate control, cruise control, xenon headlights. The maximum price for a French minivan is obscene. The most expensive lot in our ad catalog is sold for 33,003 rubles. This is a 2011 car with 118,458 km mileage. Under the hood is a two-liter diesel engine with a capacity of 130 hp. And the salon - full stuffing up to the monitors in the headrests of the front seats.
Second most popular stainless car in the catalog is Audi A8, whose body, from the first generation to the latest, is made entirely of aluminum. This implies some features in the repair technology and its cost, but when buying a whole copy, it completely eliminates thoughts about corrosion. True, the owner of a used A8 and other thoughts about maintenance and repair will be in abundance.
You can become the owner of an aluminum miracle for 6,000 rubles. That's how much they ask for a 1996 car with a 3.7-liter gasoline engine And all-wheel drive. The price ceiling for a first-generation car (D2 body) ends at 19,722 rubles. They want so much for a car made in 2001 with a mileage of 263,000 km. Under the hood, this instance has a 2.5-liter diesel engine, and the drive is front-wheel drive.
The minimum price for a second generation car (D3) in our catalog of private ads is 12,074 rubles. So much is asked for a car produced in 2003 with a mileage of 220,000 km, with a 4.2-liter gasoline engine and all-wheel drive. per car recent years issue will need to pay three times more. Audi A8 2008 release is sold for 45,279 rubles. A car with a mileage of 166,000 km, with a 4.2-liter gasoline engine and all-wheel drive. A third-generation car manufactured in 2010 can already be bought for only 44,273 rubles. This will be an instance with a mileage of only 130,000 km. Under the hood is the most common 4.2-liter gasoline unit.
Another aluminum car in the model a number of Audi- subcompact van A2. The idea to create a compact stainless steel one-volume premium segment failed. The car lasted on the assembly line for only 6 years, after which it was discontinued. But the sale is full of used A2.
Audi A2 2001 release can be bought for a minimum of 10,000 rubles. Under the hood is a 1.2-liter diesel engine. Average consumption promised at the level of 3.5-4.5 liters per "hundred". The car has climate control, cruise, leather trim and automatic transmission. The maximum that they ask for the Audi A2 is 15,093 rubles. This is how much a car made in 2002 with a mileage of 204,000 km, 1.4-liter diesel engine And mechanical box gears.
Another example of plastic art arrived on the Belarusian market from the USA. There he bore the name Pontiac Trans Sport (or Chevrolet Lumina APV). There are few of these cars in the catalog of free ads, but still they are found. We found a 1994 Pontiac Trans Sport with 220,000 km in European specification with a 2.3-liter petrol engine. The car costs 9056 rubles.
Anything that can rot into Land Rover The Defender is a steel ladder frame because all of its body parts are made of aluminum. Although at the junction of the "winged" metal with the usual electrochemical corrosion occurs - therefore, holes can be seen in this car.
Finding a British legend for sale is another problem. There were only two copies in our catalog of ads. The most affordable of them costs 24,149 rubles. This is a 2002 Defender with 145,000 km and a 2.5 liter diesel engine.
Smart is arranged in much the same way as the rest of the representatives plastic world cars - it is based on a rigid steel frame, hung with plastic panels. Such a structure will rust only if the steel load-bearing frame is damaged in an accident. The most affordable Smart can be bought for 4,023 rubles. This is the price of a car manufactured in 2000 with a mileage of 170,000 km and a 0.6-liter gasoline engine.
A car manufactured in 2010 with a mileage of 76,500 km and a powerful 1-liter engine is sold for 15,000 rubles.
By the way, the first mass-produced car with a plastic body is considered Chevrolet Corvette C1. It was based on a spatial tubular frame with fiberglass panels. Corvette latest generation assembled on a spatial aluminum frame, with a roof and hood made of carbon fiber and other parts made of composite materials. But in our ads there was only one Corvette - the fifth generation, with fiberglass body panels. A 2000 Chevrolet Corvette with a mileage of 80,000 km is sold for 38,236 rubles. Under the hood - 345 hp, taken from the mighty 5.7 liters of V8. In winter, the car did not drive, was stored in a garage under a cover. However, winter races would not hurt him.
A stainless steel car is, with some reservations, quite a real thing. And you can even buy it. In most cases, even buying a used car with plastic body panels or with an aluminum body, you completely save yourself from problems with through holes, "beetles" and other manifestations of corrosion. But plastic and aluminum have their own difficulties in repairing and painting. This must be remembered when choosing a stainless car.
In 1942, the world's first plastic car was created. As planned by Henry Ford, this car was supposed to be lighter and cheaper than a car with a metal body. Due to objective reasons, such cars did not become popular, but this does not prevent auto manufacturers from presenting plastic concepts. And in today's review, we will show you eight of the most interesting cars from plastic.
(8 photos of plastic cars)
The world's first plastic car - Soybean Car.
During the Second World War, a huge part of the metal produced in the world went to the military. This was the root cause for the appearance of the first plastic car - Soybean Car. Naturally, most of the parts of this car were made of metal, but the device included mostly bioplastic elements, which reduced the weight of the car by four times.
First mass-produced plastic car - Chevrolet Corvette (C1)
In 1953, the first plastic car, the Chevrolet Corvette, was mass-produced. The basis of this car was metal, and the body part was made of fiberglass. In total, 300 copies of such a car were created.
The first plastic car in the history of Russia - HADI-2
In 1961, students of the Kharkov Road Institute was car invented made of plastic, which received the experimental name HADI-2. The entire car was approximately 500 kg.
The most famous plastic car in the world is the Trabant.
This car was created in the GDR. Due to the small size and constant breakdowns, this car was German experts who knew a lot about good cars were simply ridiculed. Trabant cars about three million were issued.
Advantage of the German chemical industry - Bayer K67
In 1967, a car created by BMW and the Bayer chemical company was introduced to the public. At the demonstration show, the K67 crashed into the wall several times, while its frame remained without visible damage.
Russian car made of plastic - Yo-mobile
The domestic auto industry is not far behind in the creation of plastic cars. The mass creation of a plastic car with the cheerful name Yo-Mobile has already begun. The body of this car is made of polypropylene and plastic, and some parts can be changed, for example, in case of an accident or just when you want.
Plastic cars from children's LEGO constructor
Many jokers, criticizing plastic cars, call them toys and say that such vehicles can generally be assembled from LEGO constructor. Despite the grins, two young engineers, one from Romania and the other from Australia, together created a full-size car from half a million LEGO parts. It is noteworthy that instead of the engine, this LEGO car has a pneumatic motor.
Original taken from mastino_odessa V
Of course, they are not completely plastic. As a rule, we are talking about a plastic body, sometimes even about plastic body parts. However, plastic plays a significant role in the construction of all these cars.
Soybean Car. The world's first plastic
During the Second World War, most of the metal produced in the world went to the military. This fact was one of the main reasons for the appearance of Soybean Car - the world's first plastic car. Of course, most of the parts of this car were made of metal, but the design also included fourteen plastic elements, which reduced the weight of the car by almost a quarter.
Chevrolet Corvette (C1). The first production car made of plastic
And the first plastic car launched in mass production, became the 1953 Chevrolet Corvette. The frame of this car was made of metal, and the body was made of fiberglass, which was gaining popularity in those years. In total, 300 copies of this car left the assembly line, which served as the progenitor of one of the most popular sports cars in the world.
Experiments with fiberglass bodies took place in those days in the Soviet Union. For example, in 1961, students of the Kharkov Road Institute created an experimental car HADI-2, which became the first domestic plastic car. The weight of the car was only 500 kilograms.
Trabant. The most massive plastic car
Trabant is not just a car, it is a symbol of the whole country that produced it, the German Democratic Republic. Due to the specific design, small size and constant breakdowns, the car has become the object of universal ridicule. Nevertheless, more than three million cars were produced under this brand.
Bayer K67. Pride of the German chemical industry
K67 car, created jointly concern BMW and the chemical giant Bayer, was first shown to the public in Düsseldorf in 1967. But this happened not at a car show, but at an exhibition of the chemical industry. After all, Bayer wanted to show off its achievements in plastics technology in this way. As a demonstration, this plastic-bodied car crashed into a wall several times without any injury.
Urbee Hybrid. Printed plastic car
The Urbee Hybrid plastic car was also created to showcase the development modern technologies. This car was the first car, most of the parts of which (including the body) were printed on a 3D printer.
BMW i3. Luxury plastic electric car
The BMW i3, which will go into mass production in 2014, will not only be the world's first serial electric car premium class, but also a car in which a significant part of the body parts will be made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic. The creators of the machine expect that in the future this technology will gain immense popularity around the world. After all, such a body is lighter than a completely metal body, and even immune to minor mechanical damage.
Alfa Romeo 4C. plastic sports car
Company Alfa Romeo released sport car Alfa Romeo 4C with full carbon fiber body. This structural element weighs only 63 kilograms, and the machine as a whole weighs 895 kg.
Yo-mobile. Russian plastic car
The domestic auto industry is also trying to keep up with the creation plastic cars(at least — projects of such cars). Already on the way to the beginning mass production « people's car” with the funny name Yo-mobile. Its body will be made of plastic and polypropylene. Some panels will be interchangeable. So owners will be able to change them after major accidents or simply change the color of their car if they wish.
