This Technique First Used in the 1930s Helps Design Ford Products Today

Along with the unveiling of Ford’s first new World Headquarters building in nearly 70 years, the company also debuted an architectural model of the space created by a group of more than 30 Ford team members. The artistic take was rooted in clay vehicle modeling, which has been part of the automotive industry for much of the past century and regularly yields imitations that can be nearly indistinguishable from the final product. 

Once an initial idea is sketched by designers, the concept moves on to scaled-down clay models and 3D computer-aided (CAD) drawings. A full-size clay model is created in the milling process to better analyze body styling options. The larger replicas enable decision-makers to get a three-dimensional look at a vehicle concept before it goes on to the latter stages of development. 

References to the practice of clay modeling in Ford’s archives date back to the early 1930s. Clay is just one of the many substances and materials that have been used to imagine future automotive design over the years. A 1953 press release estimated the then-new clay modeling process to be at least 10 times faster than the previous method of metal and wood modeling. Historically, clay models have been limited to three sizes: 1/8 scale, 3/8 scale, and full scale, with the latter models taking roughly four months to complete in the early years. 

Clay was found to be better suited for automotive modeling than other materials because it is more malleable, giving modelers the freedom to remove material or add line accents. An internal Automotive Styling Glossary from the 1950s is filled with terms related to clay modeling such as armature – the structure used as a base for clay models – and the many tools of the trade, including a marking tool called a “mouse” and a “scraper” used to rough in the surface of a model. A 1953 press release also references “cookie cutters,” or aluminum discs, used to create popular features like chrome strips, as well as instrument panel trim and door and window moldings.

In 1950, Ford offered an extensive, industry-first six-month automotive clay modeling course for more than 100 employees, 10 of whom were brought on to the styling department after completing the program. At least one more occurrence of the program, led by modelers from the company’s styling studios and intended to develop talent for Ford’s engineering staff styling department, was held in 1952. 

Clay is here to stay

Full-size clay models are still a key element of the design process today – Ford was using as much as 200,000 pounds of clay per year to create full-size models as recently as 2016 – allowing designers and others to view physical properties early in the process. This can create a collaborative process that helps identify potential issues inside and outside of a future vehicle. Most of the clay is used during the milling process, in which designers shape the silhouette of a vehicle with the help of a machine. 

Just as the methods of using clay and related technologies have evolved, so, too, has the substance itself. It once included whale blubber, and for a time, sulfur was a prominent ingredient. Today, the substance Ford uses in its vehicle modeling is primarily a combination of waxes and oil with filler, and unlike traditional ceramic clay, it does not contain water. 

This enduring craft, perfected by generations of Ford employees, is a powerful symbol of how our past ingenuity continues to inform and inspire the groundbreaking vehicles we create for customers around the globe today. 

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