A legendary gull-wing

Thu, May 25, 2017 / 12:16 am

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A replica of a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL gull-wing takes center stage in the Tetap Jaya Art workshop in Mojosongo village, Boyolali regency, Central Java. JP/Magnus Hendratmo
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A worker cuts plywood in the workshop. Eko’s workshop has also produced a replica of big motorcycle made of teakwood waste. JP/Magnus Hendratmo
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A stack of wheel parts is seen at the workshop. A teakwood replica can weigh up to 900 kilograms. JP/Magnus Hendratmo
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A teakwood replica of a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL gull-wing is in the background while the model of the car is in the foreground. JP/Magnus Hendratmo
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A worker carries a stack of wood planks that will be used in the replica. JP/Magnus Hendratmo
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Diagrams of a Jaguar XK E-type and a Ferrari GTO 250 are tacked to a pillar to be used as guidelines. It takes one month to make one teakwood replica. JP/Magnus Hendratmo
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Wooden parts in the Tetap Jaya Art workshop in Mojosongo village, Boyolali regency, Central Java, are ready to be used to make replica cars. JP/Magnus Hendratmo
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A man works on wooden parts at the workshop. JP/Magnus Hendratmo
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The body of a car and three tires are seen in the corner of the workshop. All of the car parts are made of teakwood waste. JP/Magnus Hendratmo
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The Mercedes-Benz logo is on the hood of a wooden replica, which has already been painted. JP/Magnus Hendratmo
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A worker installs a wheel before packing the replica and sending it to a buyer. JP/Magnus Hendratmo
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A sketch by Lukistyanto, the owner of the Tetap Jaya Art workshop in Boyolali. JP/Magnus Hendratmo
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A worker tests the steering wheel of a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL gull-wing replica. JP/Magnus Hendratmo

The Mercedes-Benz 300SL has become a legend due to its distinctive gull-wing doors ever since it hit the production line in 1954.

As the legend continues, people have started making Mercedes-Benz gull-wing replicas from different materials.

One such craftsman is Eko Sulistyanto, who has produced replicas of different premium cars, including the Mercedes-Benz, Rolls Royce, Jaguar and Ferrari. Eko usually makes a replica using teakwood waste.

At the end of April 2017, Eko, who lives in Mojosongo village in Boyolali, Central Java, exported a replica of the gull-wing to Germany, the origin country of the legend itself.

“My buyer sent me a miniature of the gull-wing and asked me to make a replica from teakwood waste in its original dimensions,” Eko said.

He took one month to produce the replica.

He also installed a hydraulic system for the doors so that both doors could be opened.

Eko has produced 50 replicas. And his work started with making a Harley-Davidson motorbike replica in its original dimensions.

With creativity and imagination, Eko has turned teakwood waste into “gold.”