In the 1980s' not far from where I was at Polytechnic, the Africar was built entirely from ply and timber. For the propulsion system a Citroen GS unit was used a flat four but some prototypes used the 2CV engine. As far as I know it worked pretty well, other problems beset the project. It used the West epoxy system as the main structural adhesive, certainly on the prototypes.
No real problems using timber to get pretty much any shape, though I would be tempted to 'wrap' the shell with a layer of glass just to prevent too much splintering in case of a crash. If you get really fancy with cold moulding you could replicate pretty much most shapes. Another important factor is the suspension loading and system and again the Citroen concepts offer lower point loads on the chassis. 2CV has linked front rear, and the hydraulic system of the bigger brothers and sisters are again relatively light. Having done only 250k+ miles on the latter hydraulics with no serious problems I can attest the reliability. The comfort on long distance is excellent.
No real problems using timber to get pretty much any shape, though I would be tempted to 'wrap' the shell with a layer of glass just to prevent too much splintering in case of a crash. If you get really fancy with cold moulding you could replicate pretty much most shapes. Another important factor is the suspension loading and system and again the Citroen concepts offer lower point loads on the chassis. 2CV has linked front rear, and the hydraulic system of the bigger brothers and sisters are again relatively light. Having done only 250k+ miles on the latter hydraulics with no serious problems I can attest the reliability. The comfort on long distance is excellent.
