1967 Frantasia (Netherlands)

The Frantasia car, designed and built by Frans van Dijk, is a unique creation born from both passion and necessity. At the age of 22, van Dijk dreamed of owning a sports car but couldn’t afford one, so he set out to build his own from scratch. Starting with the chassis of an old VW Beetle that he purchased for a modest sum, he spent six months crafting a wooden body for the car.

The result was a wooden vehicle, which, while still missing an engine at that point, was technically complete and road-ready. Despite its unconventional construction, van Dijk even used the Frantasia on his honeymoon trip to England, although the car’s practicality came into question as his family grew.

Eventually, van Dijk sold the car to a timber trader, who showcased it at a trade show to demonstrate the waterproof qualities of multiplex wood. After the trade show, the Frantasia changed hands again, and its whereabouts have since been lost to time.

This one-of-a-kind wooden car stands as a testament to van Dijk’s ingenuity, resourcefulness, and passion for automotive design.