New Zealand man building replica Aston Martin DB4 via 3D printer
A NEW Zealand Aston Martin fan is 3D printing his own replica DB4.
A NEW Zealand Aston Martin fan is 3D printing his own replica DB4.
We've seen some clever 3D printed things, but so far they've all been small items - and some of them smaller than small, such as the microscopic 3D printed race car.
But a New Zealand 3D printing fan is thinking big.
Car-sized big.
At 1961 Series II Aston Martin DB4 size big, to be exact.
Auckland-based computer programmer Ivan Sentch is spinning up a replica DB4 piece-by-piece on a 3D printer that costs around $500.
His blog, Replica DB4 Project chronicles the process - and the problems and pitfalls he's faced - since starting the build late in 2012.
Sentch says he's completed about 72 per cent of the body printing, which will then be used to create a fibreglass mould, and build the final body onto a custom-built spaceframe with power coming from Nissan Skyline GTS innards currently being used in his Ferrari 250 GTO replica. The Ferrari, by the way, will get a BMW V12 engine as consolation.
Are we seeing the start of being able to DIY our own cars at home? An Aston Martin DB4 is an ambitious project, but Sentch is showing it's achievable. Which leaves us wondering how hard it would be to do a 1955 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing.
Somebody call the stationery suppliers: we urgently need to upgrade the office printer ...