3 1 JULY 2019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 57
CARS AS ART INSIGHT
the Jaguars of Chang’s youth (he
loves the E-Type, especially Eagle
Jaguars’ heavily restored cars).
Meanwhile, his 3D printer
is proving to be invaluable.
“It’s opened up a world of
possibilities,” he says. “For
example, I designed Valyrian
Steel’s front fenders using CAD
then transferred the data to my
3D printer to produce the individual
‘dragon scales’ in plastic. These
formed the moulds in which I sand-
casted the scales in steel. To support
the finished items on the wheel hubs
took a lot of ingenuity.”
The wonders of 3D printing have
also allowed Chang to devote as
much attention to the parts of his
c a r s t h at y ou c a n’t s e e , s uc h a s t he
inner faces of the exhaust pipes that
he fabricates.
“Someone asked Steve Jobs why
he cared about details in the insides
of his computers that no one could
see,” says Chang. “He said thatcaring about these details affects
the whole job and is what
separates the simply okay
from the exceptional.”
Only Valyrian Steel was
commissioned; the other cars are a
bit of fun Chang does between his
pa id w ork i n t he w orld s of f u r n it u r e
and house design. Even so, he says,
they connect with people in a way
that is unique: “People interact with
cars every day. They understand
them and no matter how extreme
they look, they understand mine.” L
Parallel (^) parking
would be tricky,
but not in the desert
`
My cars are not metaphors
like some, but sculptures
a
BURNING MAN FESTIVAL
25 August – 2 September 2019
Black Rock City, Black Rock
Desert, Nevada
Founded in 1986 in San Francisco
before it moved to the Black Rock
D e s e r t i n 1 9 9 0 , th i s a n n u a l fe sti va l
explores ideas including anti-
consumerism and self-expression.
However, America’s addiction to
the automobile is such that even
here, the organisers have had to
create a so-called Department
of Mutant Vehicles enabling
what it terms ‘mobile art’ to be
represented.
One of the department’s stars,
and a regular at the festival since
2012, is Mr Fusion, designed and
constructed by Henry Chang. The
Las Vegas-based designer and
sculptor went into debt building
the vehicle, a long, low-slung
six-wheeler with an exoskeleton
of tubular steel surrounding a
rear mid-mounted V8 exhausting
through 16 ‘pea-shooter’ pipes
arranged like a missile battery.
As a symbol of self-expression
it’s a triumph – but as an
anti-consumerist statement it
falls rather flat, its enormous
Super Swamper rear tyres and
miles of polished steel looking
more like a tribute to Detroit.
THE CAR AS
MOBILE ART
more time designing and refining
the chassis and suspension systems,
which is why my latest vehicles look
so complicated.
“But however complicated they
are mechanically and structurally,
my c a r s a r e n’t me t aphor s l i k e s ome ,
they’re sculptures.”
Best we stick to their mechanicals,
Henry, if you don’t mind...
S e v e n fe e t of F lu x C apa c it or ’s
le n g t h i s a c t u a l l y a f r ont-mou nt e d
swing arm; its job, explains Chang,
is to counter lateral loads acting
on the vehicle. Along the way, he
had to engineer a complex
suspension system to prevent it
twisting and tearing apart the
Flux’s main frame.
“B e c au s e it h a s s o muc h le v e r a ge ,
it glides across the desert like a
Mars rover,” he says.
It’s powered by a Chevy Big
Block 454 fitted with a Roots-style
supercharger producing 621bhp and
670lb ft torque.
“I love its big, serpentine belt,”
says Chang. “My next car is inspired
by an American hot rod but unlike
those cars, you will see all of its
mechanicals.”
Elsewhere, Chang’s inspiration
comes from all sorts of places.
The f low of air over and through
Valyrian Steel inf luenced the shape
of the wishbones, the chassis and
the array of inlet pipes and exhausts.
Its in-board brakes were inspired by
Chang believe
s that
nothing should b
e
hidden (^) from view
Valyrian^ Steel^ too
k
inspiration^ fro
m
Game^ of^ Thron
es