Then, wood frames reinforced with steel to give the car body greater rigidity came along. Called armored wood, it saw its first use as framing to hold the steel body panels of the 1911 Hupmobile., The first motor car bodies and chassis frames, made between 1896 and 1910, were similar in design to horse-drawn carriages and, like the carriages, were made almost entirely of wood., Wood: In the early days of automobile manufacturing, vehicles were largely constructed with wooden frames, similar to horse-drawn carriages. Wood was abundant and easy to work with. Steel: Gradually, steel began replacing wood in the frame and body due to its superior strength and durability., The first motor car bodies and chassis frames, made between 1896 and 1910, were similar in design to horse-drawn carriages and, like the carriages, were made almost entirely of wood., What did trees and cars once have in common - besides trunks? Some people would be surprised to learn that wood was used to make most car frames until 1937, according to Georgia-Pacific Corp., a forest products firm., They used their knowledge of wooden carriage-building to create the bodies of the world’s first automobiles. Because wood could only bend in certain ways, however, early cars were boxy and simple, not unlike their carriage predecessors..