Carpenter Builds A Working Wooden Replica Car — Wood You?

He has handbuilt a wooden 2CV Citroen Car and is about to pass its first technical examination. A wooden replica of Citroen's iconic "2CV", was built using a mix of lumbers including apple, pear and cherry, is all set to hit the road.

Pensioner Michel Robillard is calling his fully operational version of the car as the "Umbrella on Wheels".

The moving hood was carved out of a single block, and its essential 22 ridges were sharpened with a wood chisel and sandpaper, the man who transformed the once ubiquitous car to life in wooden form told AFP.

The "2CV" stands for "Deux Che Vaux", meaning "two horsepower" and was launched in 1948 as Citroen's response to the Volkswagen Beetle.

The wooden car is equipped with an original engine from Citroen's 3CV model, providing it with the extra power required to drive the naturally heavier wooden fabrication. To protect the wooden car from the heat of the engine, the car is layered with insulation.

Apart from the engine, the car's metal frame, wheels and headlights are the only parts the Frenchman did not build himself.

"The hubcaps are made out of wood, just like the car's seats, which come with comfortable pillows," he said.

The unique wooden car is yet to pass its technical inspection, but it has already grabbed the attention of prospective buyers. The Frenchman; however, is not selling, but views the creation as something that will "remain after I'm gone."

Robillard is hoping to display the car in an art gallery or seeing it advertised in a big-budget TV advert or film.