Škoda UK has created a television advertisement featuring the making of a Skoda Fabia car out of cake. The TV ad, another in the Happy Drivers series, is highlighted online at http://www.newfabia.co.uk/, along with a ‘making of’ documentary, brochure and opportunity to test drive a vehicle. See Exclusive Video of Skoda Fabia Car TV Ad Campign 2007
A crew of white-overall-wearing bakers prepares and assembles the ingredients for a Skoda Fabia to the sounds of Julie Andrews singing, “Some of my Favourite Things”.
The Skoda Fabia campaign was developed at Fallon London by creatives Chris Bovill and John Allison.
Filming was directed by Chris Palmer via Gorgeous Enterprises, with producer Rupert Smythe.
Visual effects and modeling were overseen by model maker John Pennicott, Pennicott Payne, London.
Sarah Tildesley, home economist, provided advice and on-site baking direction for the team. Her recipes involved 10 kg white chocolate chunks, 3 kg orange peel strips, 1 kg Angeliques, 12.5 kg raspberry jam, 100 kg wheat flour, 100 kg caster sugar, 20 kg glacier cherries, 30 kg brown almonds, 20 kg raisins, 25 kg dried apricots, 5 kg cacao powder, 180 fresh eggs, 42 kg chocolate fudge, 180 kg orange sugar paste, 90 kg brown sugar paster, 40 kg black sugar paste, 50 kg white sugar paste, 200 kg cake margarine sun cup, 270 kg icing sugar atlas, and 40 kg mil calets.Clare Grotefeld, cake fabricator, explains that it took a team of eight people a week to mould the car, and three days to pour the rice crispies. See the 16 step process described with photographs at the Daily Mail.
The Skoda team thought about giving the car cake away to local charities after the shoot but found it impossible due to the effect of studio lights over several days. It would have posed a health and safety risk if eaten. Some car parts, such as the marzipan wing-mirrors, chocolate speedometer, wafer engine fan and the Fabia badge icing, were preserved and vacuum packed to be held as mementos of the production.
The cake itself was composted at the East London Community Recycling Project in Clapton, a project set up to provide local residents and members with quality compost for use on their gardens or allotments.
