Original subtitles

Narrator: TODAY ON "HOW IT'S MADE: DREAM CARS," THE ZENVO ST1,

A DANISH HYPERCAR THAT'S NOT JUST TURBOCHARGED,

IT'S ALSO SUPERCHARGED.

-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

ZENVO WANTS YOU TO BE SCARED WHEN YOU SEE AN ST1

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD.

THE DESIGNER OF THE ST1 WAS TOLD TO MAKE IT LOOK EVIL.

HE TURNED TO IMAGES OF WILD PREDATORS FOR INSPIRATION.

THE SHOULDERS OF A CROUCHING LIONESS

TRANSLATE TO THE HYPERCAR'S FENDERS,

WHILE THE HEADLIGHTS CONVEY AN EAGLE'S EYES.

THESE INFLUENCES HELP TO GIVE THE ST1 ITS AGGRESSIVE STANCE.

THE CAR'S FREE-FLOWING POSITIVE CURVES

CREATE THE IMPRESSION OF DYNAMIC MOVEMENT,

EVEN WHEN THE CAR IS PARKED.

THIS DESIGN HELPS EXPRESS THE ST1's MONSTROUS STRENGTH,

WITH A V8 ENGINE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 1,104 HORSEPOWER.

BUT AESTHETICS ALONE DON'T MAKE A CAR BODY.

THE DESIGNER MUST ALSO INCORPORATE KEY ELEMENTS

LIKE AERODYNAMICS AND DOWNFORCE FOR MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE.

NO MATTER HOW SOPHISTICATED THE DESIGN SOFTWARE IS,

THERE'S NO SUBSTITUTE FOR SCULPTING THE CAR

IN THREE DIMENSIONS.

ZENVO ALSO MILLS A FULL-SCALE VERSION

OF THE ST1 IN POLYSTYRENE.

THE FINAL PRODUCT IS A TRUE SUPERCAR

THAT CAN ACCELERATE FROM ZERO TO 60 IN THREE SECONDS FLAT

AND REACH A TOP SPEED OF OVER 230 MILES PER HOUR.

THE SECRET INGREDIENT AT THE HEART OF THE CAR

IS AN ENGINE THAT HAS BOTH A TURBOCHARGER

AND A SUPERCHARGER.

ZENVO USES A COMBINATION OF ALUMINUM AND STEEL

TO BUILD THE CHASSIS OF THE ST1.

THE STEEL IS ESPECIALLY FORMULATED HIGH-STRENGTH TYPE.

THIS ALLOWS FOR THIN-WALLED TUBING, A WEIGHT-SAVING DESIGN

THAT MAINTAINS STRONG TORSIONAL RIGIDITY,

A CRUCIAL ASPECT FOR ANY HIGH-PERFORMANCE CAR.

BECAUSE THE MANUFACTURER ONLY MAKES FIVE OR SIX ST1s PER YEAR,

THEY CAN FOCUS ON CRAFTING EVERY ASPECT OF THE CAR BY HAND.

HERE, A TECHNICIAN CAREFULLY MEASURES

AND POSITIONS ALL THE COMPONENTS OF THE REAR CHASSIS FRAME

IN PREPARATION FOR WELDING.

HE USES A FOLDING RULER TO ENSURE THE GAPS

ARE PERFECTLY ALIGNED.

THEN HE TIG-WELDS ALL THE COMPONENTS TOGETHER.

IT TAKES ABOUT A WEEK TO BUILD THE REAR FRAME

AND ANOTHER WEEK FOR THE FRONT FRAME.

ONCE COMPLETE, THE FRAMES JOIN THE CENTRAL MONOCOQUE

TO CREATE THE FRAMEWORK FOR THE HYPERCAR.

IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THIS METAL FRAME

LIES UNDERNEATH THE SLEEK BODY OF THE ST1.

ZENVO BUILDS THE BODY EXCLUSIVELY FROM CARBON FIBER.

A TECHNICIAN USES A PATTERN TO CUT OUT THE CORRECT AMOUNT

OF CARBON FIBER NEEDED TO CREATE THE CAR'S PANELING.

THANKS TO THE VERY DURABLE, BUT INCREDIBLY LIGHTWEIGHT,

NATURE OF CARBON FIBER,

THE ZENVO ST1 WEIGHS IN AT JUST OVER 3,000 POUNDS.

THE CAR'S LIGHT WEIGHT ALSO HELPS IT MEET

THE VERY STRINGENT EURO 5 EMISSIONS STANDARDS.

A REMARKABLE FEAT,

CONSIDERING THE AMOUNT OF HORSEPOWER IT PUTS OUT.

HERE, A SPECIALIST BUILDS A SECTION OF THE REAR SIDE PANEL

BY CAREFULLY HAND-LAYERING CARBON FIBER INTO A MOLD.

USING CARBON FIBER TO MAKE A CAR BODY

IS A METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION

THAT BLENDS TEXTILE WORK WITH SCULPTING.

THIS PROCESS IS PAINSTAKINGLY SLOW,

AND THE FIBER IS EXPENSIVE.

BUT WHEN YOU'RE HAND-BUILDING A HIGHLY EXCLUSIVE DREAM CAR

IN SUCH SMALL NUMBERS,

YOU MUST USE THE BEST MATERIALS AVAILABLE.

LOW-VOLUME, MADE-TO-ORDER-GOODS PRODUCTION

IS ONE OF THE FEW INDUSTRIES

THAT STILL EMPLOYS SKILLED CRAFTSPEOPLE.

NOW THE CRAFTSMAN PRESSES A SHEET OF CARBON FIBER

IN A MOLD THAT IS SIMILAR, BUT NOT IDENTICAL,

TO THE FIRST ONE.

THIS SECTION OF THE BODY PANEL

WILL HOUSE ZENVO'S SIGNATURE GAS CAP,

SO IT MUST BE PREPARED WITH THAT IN MIND.

ONCE THE TWO MOLDS ARE PREPARED, A TECHNICIAN COVERS THEM

WITH A LAYER OF MATERIAL CALLED BREATHER FABRIC.

THEN EVERYTHING IS SEALED INSIDE A CLEAR PLASTIC BAG.

THE AIR IS VACUUMED OUT, CREATING A TIGHT SEAL

THAT ENSURES PRECISE CONTROL OVER THE CURING PROCESS.

TO CURE THE CARBON FIBER, THE WORKER

TURNS ON AN ELECTRIC HEATING SYSTEM EMBEDDED WITHIN THE MOLD.

IT TAKES ROUGHLY FIVE HOURS

TO DE-MOLD THIS TYPE OF CARBON FIBER.

THEY LET IT SIT OVERNIGHT BEFORE REMOVING IT FROM THE MOLD.

RELEASE AGENTS WERE APPLIED TO THE FIBER

TO HELP WITH THE DE-MOLDING PROCESS.

HOWEVER, THE TECHNICIANS MUST STILL PROCEED VERY CAREFULLY

TO AVOID BREAKING OR CRACKING THE PART AS THEY REMOVE IT.

HERE, A WORKER IS USING A GRINDER

TO CUT AWAY EXCESS MATERIAL.

THIS REQUIRES A STEADY HAND.

NEXT, THE TECHNICIAN USES A DIFFERENT HANDHELD POWER TOOL

TO CUT OUT THE GAS-CAP OPENING.

ONCE FINISHED, HE SANDS THE EDGES SMOOTH.

THE FINISHED CARBON-FIBER COMPONENTS COME HERE

TO A SEALED PAINTING STATION.

BUYERS CAN CHOOSE ANY FINISH THEY WANT,

BUT MANY OPT FOR A CLEAR COATING THAT PROTECTS THE SURFACE

BUT REVEALS ITS DISTINCTIVE WEAVE.

HERE A SPECIALIST

SPRAYS THE PARTS WITH AN AUTOMOTIVE-GRADE SEALANT.

Narrator: ST1 -- THE "S" STANDS FOR SUPERCHAGER,

THE "T" FOR TURBOCHARGER,

AND "1" INDICATES THAT THIS IS THE COMPANY'S FIRST MODEL.

FEW CARS IN HISTORY HAVE HAD BOTH TURBOCHARGER

AND SUPERCHARGER UNITED IN A SINGLE ENGINE.

HAVING BOTH A SUPERCHARGER AND A TURBOCHARGER

MEANS THAT THE CAR HAS INSTANT THROTTLE RESPONSE,

NO MATTER HOW LOW OR HIGH THE REVS.

HERE, A TECHNICIAN

MOUNTS THE CLUTCH ONTO THE ALUMINUM ENGINE BLOCK.

THIS CLUTCH IS AN ACCESSIBLE COMPONENT

THAT CAN BE EASILY REPLACED IF NECESSARY.

ZENVO ADHERE TO THIS SAME PHILOSOPHY

WHEN DESIGNING THE CAR'S POWERTRAIN.

THEY USE HIGH-QUALITY BUT CONVENTIONAL PARTS,

RATHER THAN EXOTIC,

DIFFICULT-TO-REPLACE COMPONENTS WHEREVER POSSIBLE.

NEXT, THE WORKER

INSTALLS THE COMPRESSOR FOR THE AIR-CONDITIONING.

EVEN WITH THIS ADDITION,

THE ENGINE REMAINS REMARKABLY SMALL,

CONSIDERING HOW POWERFUL IT IS.

YET ANOTHER BENEFIT

OF COMBINING A TURBOCHARGER WITH A SUPERCHARGER.

THE INTAKE MANIFOLD OF THE ZENVO ST1

HOUSES A LIQUID-TO-AIR INTERCOOLER.

THIS PROVIDES THE ENGINE WITH COOL AIR

TO MAXIMIZE ITS EFFICIENCY.

THE CORES OF THE INTERCOOLER ARE LONG CYLINDERS

MADE OF DOZENS OF EXTREMELY THIN ALUMINUM DISCS STACKED TOGETHER.

THEY PROVIDE AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF SURFACE AREA

IN A VERY SMALL SPACE.

AS THE WATER PUMP MOVES COLD WATER THROUGH THOSE CORES,

THE DISCS ABSORB THE HEAT FROM THE CHARGED AIR

AND DISPERSE IT.

COMBUSTION ENGINES NEED AIR TO WORK.

A SUPERCHARGER IS ESSENTIALLY A VERY SOPHISTICATED AIR PUMP.

IT BOOSTS THE PERFORMANCE OF THE ENGINE

BY FORCING IN EXTRA AIR.

ZENVO'S ENGINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

WAS DEVELOPED ENTIRELY IN HOUSE FROM SCRATCH.

AS A RESULT, THE MANUFACTURER

HAS COMPLETE CONTROL OVER THE CAR'S PARAMETERS.

HERE, A METAL-CUTTING MACHINE

SAWS A LONG ALUMINUM ROD INTO SMALL DISCS.

THANKS TO ITS REMARKABLY LOW DENSITY,

ALUMINUM CAN BE CUT EASILY AND QUICKLY.

HOWEVER, THE PROCESS GENERATES HEAT FROM FRICTION.

TO KEEP THE SAW BLADE FROM OVERHEATING,

A CONSTANT STREAM OF LIQUID IS APPLIED.

THE ALUMINUM DISCS

THEN GO TO A HIGHLY SPECIALIZED FIVE-AXIS MILLING MACHINE.

THE MACHINE HAS MULTIPLE STATIONS,

ALLOWING IT TO WORK ON MULTIPLE COMPONENTS

AT THE SAME TIME.

THIS MACHINE CAN SHAPE A ZENVO FUEL CAP IN LESS THAN 10 MINUTES

WITH EXTREME PRECISION.

WORKING FROM THE TOP DOWN, THE CUTTING TOOL SCULPTS

THE ALUMINUM SO EASILY IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S CARVING A MATERIAL

THAT'S AS SOFT AS WAX.

THE MACHINE MILLS THE FUEL CAP

FOLLOWING A COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN...

...WHILE MONITORS DISPLAY ITS SWIFT AND PRECISE MOTIONS.

THE MILLING MACHINE

AUTOMATICALLY SELECTS THE TOOLS IT NEEDS.

HERE IT'S USING ONE OF THE THINNEST BITS

TO ETCH OUT THE COMPANY'S NAME.

THIS MACHINE HAS A CUTTING TOOL

THAT'S THINNER THAN A HUMAN HAIR.

IN ABOUT EIGHT MINUTES, THE MILLING MACHINE

CAN TRANSFORM A SIMPLE ALUMINUM DISC

INTO A SLEEK COMPONENT OF A HIGH-PERFORMANCE SUPERCAR.

Narrator: WHEN IT COMES TO A HYPERCAR AS EXCLUSIVE AS THE ZENVO ST1,

THE INTERIOR MUST BE AS LUXURIOUS AND FLAWLESS

AS THE EXTERIOR.

THAT'S WHY THE CAR MAKER

CUSTOMIZES THE UPHOLSTERY FOR EACH BUYER,

RIGHT DOWN TO THE STITCHING PATTERN.

IT TAKES FIVE COW HIDES TO UPHOLSTER A SINGLE ST1.

HERE, SPECIALLY TRAINED CRAFTSMEN UNFOLD A HIDE

ON A CUTTING TABLE.

THEY BEGIN BY INSPECTING THE SURFACE FOR ANY FLAWS.

NEXT, THEY LAY THE CUTTING PATTERNS OUT.

THEY USE SMALL METAL WEIGHTS TO KEEP THE PATTERNS IN PLACE

AS THEY WORK.

THESE CUTTING PATTERNS

WERE CREATED BY THE UPHOLSTERY SPECIALIST

AND THE CAR'S DESIGNER.

THE CRAFTSMEN TRACE THE OUTLINE OF THE PATTERNS,

TRANSFERRING THE CUTTING PLAN TO THE COW HIDE.

THEY MUST PAY CLOSE ATTENTION

TO THE POSITION OF EACH PATTERN ON THE HIDE.

THE LEATHER CLOSEST TO THE SPINE OF THE COW

IS THE BEST-QUALITY MATERIAL.

THE LEATHER BECOMES THINNER AND FLAWED NEAR THE BELLY AREA

OF THE COW HIDE.

NOW THE UPHOLSTERY SPECIALIST BEGINS CUTTING OUT THE SEGMENTS.

THESE PIECES WILL BE USED TO UPHOLSTER PARTS OF THE SEATS

AND DOORS.

IT TAKES BOTH TRAINING AND PRACTICE TO BE ABLE TO CUT

WITH THIS COMBINATION OF SPEED AND PRECISION.

ONCE THE PATTERNS ARE CUT,

IT'S TIME TO PUT THEM ALL TOGETHER.

A CRAFTSMAN USES A SEWING MACHINE TO JOIN TWO PIECES

WITH A CLOSED STITCH.

LEATHER IS AN UNFORGIVING MATERIAL,

SO THE WORKER MUST PROCEED WITH GREAT CARE.

WHILE YOU CAN BE TRAINED

TO BECOME AN AUTOMOTIVE UPHOLSTERY SPECIALIST

IN LESS THAN A YEAR,

TRUE MASTERY TAKES MUCH LONGER.

THIS TECHNICIAN'S EXPERTISE

MAKES THE PROCESS LOOK MUCH EASIER THAN IT ACTUALLY IS.

NOW HE USES A MACHINE THAT SEWS A DOUBLE-STITCH PATTERN.

THE CUSTOMER CAN CHOOSE THIS DECORATIVE FEATURE

IN ANY COLOR THEY WISH.

SEWING LEATHER REQUIRES SPECIALIZED SEWING MACHINES,

NEEDLES, AND THREAD,

AS WELL AS CAREFUL ADJUSTMENT OF THE THREAD TENSION.

THE THREAD MUST BE MADE OF UPHOLSTERY-WEIGHT POLYESTER

OR RAYON, OR IT COULD EASILY BREAK WHEN SEWING.

HERE A CRAFTSMAN INSTALLS A SECTION OF THE DOOR UPHOLSTERY.

THIS CENTERPIECE HAS BEEN QUILTED

WITH AN EMBROIDERY MACHINE.

IT TAKES 2 1/2 HOURS

TO EMBROIDER THE PATTERN ON THIS PARTICULAR SECTION.

HE CAREFULLY INSTALLS THE ARM REST,

ENSURING THE TIGHTEST POSSIBLE FIT.

THE EMBROIDERED QUILTING

ABOVE THE ARM REST IS A HEXAGONAL PATTERN.

THIS DESIGN MOTIF IS FOUND THROUGHOUT THE ST1.

EVEN THE CAR'S GRILLE FEATURES HEXAGONS.

THE TECHNICIAN CAREFULLY INSPECTS EVERY INCH

OF THE UPHOLSTERY SURFACE TO ENSURE IT'S FLAWLESS.

A CRAFTSMAN WILL FOLLOW THE SAME PROCEDURE

FOR EACH OF THE CAR'S INTERIOR ELEMENTS.

THIS INSPECTION PROCESS PLAYS A LARGE ROLE

IN WHY IT TAKES ROUGHLY 10 MONTHS TO BUILD A SINGLE ST1.

Narrator: FINAL ASSEMBLY OF THE ST1

TAKES PLACE AT THIS PLANT IN ZEALAND, DENMARK.

IT TAKES ABOUT FOUR MONTHS

FOR TECHNICIANS TO TAKE THE VARIOUS SUBASSEMBLIES

AND TRANSFORM THEM

INTO A COMPLETE HIGH-PERFORMANCE HYPERCAR.

SOME OF THE SUBASSEMBLIES OF THIS ST1

HAVE BEEN HERE FOR TWO MONTHS.

WORKERS CAREFULLY BUILD THEM PIECE BY PIECE.

HERE TWO TECHNICIANS INSTALL THE LEFT DOOR TO THE FRAME.

NOW IT'S TIME TO ADD THE PIECE

THAT WILL HOUSE THE GAS CAP AND FEED PIPE.

FLANGES ON THE TOP

AND BOTTOM OF THE PART PROVIDE ATTACHMENT POINTS.

THE TECHNICIAN LINES EVERYTHING UP AND SCREWS IT IN PLACE.

THE CARBON-FIBER WEAVE IS CLEARLY VISIBLE ON THIS PART.

THIS WAS DONE FOR AESTHETIC EFFECT.

THE WORKER LINES UP THE MOUTH OF THE GAS PIPE AND ATTACHES IT.

ONCE IT'S SECURELY IN PLACE,

HE INSTALLS ZENVO'S SIGNATURE ALUMINUM GAS CAP.

THIS NEXT PART SERVES THREE FUNCTIONS.

IT HOUSES THE TAILLIGHTS,

PROVIDES A SUPPORT FRAME FOR THE EXHAUST PIPE,

AND HAS A GRILLE THAT VENTS HOT AIR FROM THE ENGINE.

THE PART IS MADE OF ANODIZED ALUMINUM,

RATHER THAN PLASTIC,

TO PROTECT IT FROM THE HIGH TEMPERATURES

GENERATED BY THE ENGINE AND EXHAUST PIPE.

IT'S TIME TO INSTALL THE REAR WINDSHIELD FRAME,

WHICH IS ALSO MADE OF ALUMINUM.

TECHNICIANS ATTACH THE GLASS IN THE TOP PORTION OF THE FRAME.

THE BOTTOM THIRD REMAINS OPEN,

PROVIDING ANOTHER VENT FOR THE HOT ENGINE AIR.

THE GRILLE OF THE VENT FEATURES THE SAME HEXAGONAL DESIGN MOTIF

REPEATED THROUGHOUT THE CAR.

NOW WORKERS INSTALL THE REAR HOOD.

THEY INSPECT THE GAPS BETWEEN PANELS

TO ENSURE THEY'RE CORRECTLY ALIGNED.

THE GAPS ON THE ST1 ARE RELATIVELY NARROW,

COMPARED TO OTHER HANDMADE, LOW-VOLUME PRODUCTION CARS.

THE CAREFULLY DESIGNED REAR SPOILER

WILL KEEP THE ST1 ON THE GROUND,

EVEN WHEN IT HITS THOSE HIGH SPEEDS.

THE TECHNICIANS HAVE LEFT THE REAR CONSTRUCTION OPEN

SO THEY CAN EASILY INSTALL THE ENGINE.

THEY USE A HYDRAULIC CRANE SYSTEM

TO HELP THEM CORRECTLY POSITION THE V8 POWERHOUSE

BEFORE BOLTING IT IN.

THANKS TO THE ENGINE'S LOCATION, THE CAR'S WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION

IS 56% IN THE REAR AND 44% IN THE FRONT.

NEXT, WORKERS INSTALL THE SUPERCHARGER,

WHICH SITS ON TOP OF THE INTAKE MANIFOLD.

INSIDE THE MANIFOLD

IS ONE OF THE INTERCOOLER WE SAW BEING CONSTRUCTED EARLIER.

NOW A TECHNICIAN ADDS THE ENGINE'S NUMBER PLATE.

ON THE PLATE IS THE SERIAL NUMBER ST1009

BECAUSE THIS IS CAR NUMBER 9.

INSULATION ON THE TURBINE SIDE OF THE TURBOCHARGER

IMPROVES EFFICIENCY

AND HELPS PREVENT OVERHEATING IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT.

ZENVO'S MADE-TO-ORDER ENGINE-MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

WILL CONTROL EVERY ASPECT OF THE CAR'S PERFORMANCE.

ONCE THE ST1 IS FULLY ASSEMBLED,

IT'S READY FOR THE ALL-IMPORTANT DYNO TESTING PHASE.

IT TAKES AN ENTIRE DAY TO COMPLETE THIS STEP,

AS ZENVO ADJUSTS ALL THE PARAMETERS

OF THE CAR'S SOPHISTICATED ELECTRONICS.

SINCE THE CAR IS BLUETOOTH-ENABLED,

THERE'S NO NEED TO HOOK UP ANY CABLES

TO MONITOR THE CAR'S PERFORMANCE.

DUCTS SITUATED DIRECTLY BEHIND THE TAIL PIPES

VENT THE CAR'S EXHAUST OUTDOORS WHILE IT'S BEING TESTED.

ONCE IT'S PASSED THE DYNO STATION TESTING STAGE,

THIS ST1 IS READY FOR MANDATORY ROAD TESTING.

THANKS TO THE DESIGN OF ITS EXTERIOR LINES,

EVEN WHEN PARKED, THE CAR LOOKS LIKE IT'S READY TO POUNCE.

A SLEEK MOLDED HEAT SHIELD

COVERS THE TURBOCHARGER UNDER THE REAR HOOD.

INSIDE, ZENVO'S SIGNATURE HEXAGONAL PATTERN

CAN BE FOUND THROUGHOUT THE CAR,

FROM THE MAIN INSTRUMENT DISPLAY GRAPHICS

TO THE INFOTAINMENT CONSOLE AND UPHOLSTERY.

IN THE SCANDINAVIAN DESIGN TRADITION,

FORM IS ALWAYS SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW FUNCTION.

THE FUNCTION OF THE ST1 IS TO TERRIFY THE COMPETITION

AND LOOK GOOD WHILE DOING IT.

WITH ITS PREDATORY CURVES COVERING A SUPERCHARGED TURBO V8

CAPABLE OF PUNCHING THE CAR

FROM ZERO TO 60 IN JUST THREE SECONDS,

THIS DANISH HYPERCAR IS ACTUALLY QUITE TRADITIONAL.