Clay modeling

{{Short description|Automobile prototype model made with clay}}

{{about|automobile prototyping|the material|Modelling clay}}

{{distinguish|Pottery}}

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| footer = An example of full scale clay modeling (left) and completed automobile (right).

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Clay modeling (or clay model making) for automobile prototypes was first introduced in the 1930s by automobile designer Harley Earl, head of the General Motors styling studio (known initially as the Art and Color Section, and later as the Design and Styling Department).{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=36kg2DJiy7cC&pg=PA103 |title=An Introduction to Modern Vehicle Design |location=United Kingdom |publisher=Elsevier Science & Technology Books |year=2001 |pages=103-107 |access-date=2024-08-23 |via=Google Books}}

Industrial plasticine, or "clay", which is used for this purpose, is a malleable material that can be easily shaped, thus enabling designers to create models to visualize a product. Clay modeling was soon adopted throughout the industry and remains in use today.{{cn|date=December 2024}}

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|File:Zagato studio mock up.jpg|Clay model seen in Zagato design studio (2009)

|File:1961 AMC PRfoto Designers.jpg|AMC designers with clay model (1961)

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