It may just be that I'm a contrarian old fart, and I don't want to take the pleasures of self-expression away from anyone (much less sales from SmartMadness), but I have to say that I just don't get the whole "woody" concept.
(And, please, no obscene references.)
Back when "woody" wagons were first released, there was (marginally so) a reason for the wooden sides on the bodywork. Wagon manufacturing (with traditional carpentry still being used for commercial wagons at that time) offered a quick and solid solution to the "station wagon" problem, particularly when body parts on automobiles were still largely hand crafted out of sheet metal.
However, the advent of the "suburban" body style, introduced by the Chrysler Corporation in the 1930's, removed any need for a wooden box to be part of the bodywork. Once that point was reached, "station wagons" only displayed the "woody" treatment for "decorative" purposes, not structural ones.
With that, the inevitable issue of care for the woodwork (which was only decorative in nature, remember) came to the fore. Varnish back in the day only lasted so long, and when it started to fall off, the "woody" treatment started to (literally) fall apart. Most of the "non-museum" wood sided cars that I have seen have had serious weather damage to the woodwork, and would require a costly restoration to be considered "nice looking".
With the advent of plastic and large scale large metal stampings, the "woody" changed into something quite different. In the old days, you had a wood box (or a thinner wood veneer applied over the sheet metal). With the new "woody", you had strips of plastic trim applied over sheets of printed "wood grain" plastic and paper sheeting.
But, unlike the real wood sides of the traditional surfer's "woody", these "wood" items didn't fail gracefully. The colors of the trim and the sheeting started fading as soon as they were exposed to sunlight with its ultraviolet radiation, leading to the "wood" being bleached almost white. The plastic trim and sheeting both peeled off of the cars, further adding to the seedy nature of this approach to the "woody".
I have yet to see a "modern woody" with the original "woodwork" in place. All that look "nice" have been rebuilt/refurbished at least once. Even Delrin® and Formica® will, if exposed for a long enough time, dry out and fade and start cracking.
Now, I'm not saying that this can't be done. And, I'm sure that the product that SmartMadness is introducing is as solid and capable as it can be, with up to date UV inhibition and all of that.
My point is that aspiring to a look harkening back to a vehicle that was (in its time) a stop-gap until a more durable metal version was available is sort of silly. After all, the car industry dropped the genuine "woody" body style as soon as they could produce something better. All in all, this is much like the motorized keys that some have attached to their Smarts - cute as a button but of no real "value".
Now, if you will please excuse me, I have to go shout at those damn'd kids on my lawn...
2008 Smart 
2008 Smart 
1 - Kermit
3 - The Street Rod
4 - Split Window Vette
5 - The Veggie VW
Today
Linear Mode
