Anyone wish for a gold Porsche?

[TheDoctor]

I saw this at a recent trade show in Munich, Germany.
The car was stripped o its pain, given a flat primer, and then gold leaf, (a micro-thin sheet of 24 karat gold, traditionally made by hammering gold between two layers of sheep-skin) was applioed to the entire body of the car and rubbed into place, a process known as "burnishing". Gold leaf has been used for millennia, as a decorative element in sculpture, as ornamental embellishment in art and architecture, and for a variety of other uses.

Why a car? Gold leaf?

The people who did this have recently opened a sort of museum, called Schuckwelten, or Jewellery World. It''''s a promotional gimmick. Worked for me. I visited Schuckwelten in Pforzheim, and it was an interesting afternoon activity. It featured interactive displays about jewellery production,. the history of the craft, the origins of the industry in Phorzheim, which is known as "The Gold City" because of the sheer number of jewellery firms located there...around 3000 of them Prior to WW2, there were more that 10,000 of them, but a little misinformation handed to the RAF resulted in the city''''s watchmakers being misunderstood as being suppliers of strategic instruments to the Nazi war effort, so the city was virtually destroyed by bombing. It has taken a long time to come back to where it is now.

 

[strmrdr]

here is the picture:

 

[TheDoctor]

A closer inspection shows the detail. You can''t really see it here, but the gold leaf sheets are about 3x5 inches, and are applied evenly without overlaps to create a smooth, even effect.
It seems sort of silly if you really think about it, but the car is an attention-getter for the museum. The gold would scratch off with very little effort, but as an ornament, it truly is a unique piece.

The museum is well worth a visit if you are ever have a chance to do so. You can have a look for yourself at:

www.schmuckwelten.de

 

[TheDoctor]

Once inside the Schmuckwelten, there are many well-put-together displays. Most couldn''t be accurately represented in a photograph, but this was one that could.
It is a large sculpture made with mirrors, depicting a semi-finished diamond. What was most amazing about it was, for its size (about 8 feet in diameter) and location, flush-mounted within a wall, there wasn''t a speck of dust anywhere. No sneeze-spray, nothing. All of the surfaces looked absolutely squeaky-clean.

Whoever the janitor is, I would hire them to do my windows in a heartbeat!

 

[pricescope]

Sorry couldn''t resist:

Middle Golden Age Crisis car

 

[marvel]

Date: 3/12/2006 1:37:56 PM
Author:TheDoctor
I saw this at a recent trade show in Munich, Germany.
The car was stripped o its pain, given a flat primer, and then gold leaf, (a micro-thin sheet of 24 karat gold, traditionally made by hammering gold between two layers of sheep-skin) was applioed to the entire body of the car and rubbed into place, a process known as ''burnishing''. Gold leaf has been used for millennia, as a decorative element in sculpture, as ornamental embellishment in art and architecture, and for a variety of other uses.

Why a car? Gold leaf?

The people who did this have recently opened a sort of museum, called Schuckwelten, or Jewellery World. It''s a promotional gimmick. Worked for me. I visited Schuckwelten in Pforzheim, and it was an interesting afternoon activity. It featured interactive displays about jewellery production,. the history of the craft, the origins of the industry in Phorzheim, which is known as ''The Gold City'' because of the sheer number of jewellery firms located there...around 3000 of them Prior to WW2, there were more that 10,000 of them, but a little misinformation handed to the RAF resulted in the city''s watchmakers being misunderstood as being suppliers of strategic instruments to the Nazi war effort, so the city was virtually destroyed by bombing. It has taken a long time to come back to where it is now.

You had me at micro

 

[Anthony K]

I remember a few years back about a gold, 4 million dollar, Lamborghini. So I went looking and wah-lah here it is.