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Flat Origami Car

Two triangular wheels below a folded body and sloping windshield. Follow the moving layers, read the complete illustrated steps or print the one-page diagrams.

Preparation + 11 numbered steps

Materials

6-inch square · 6 × 6 inches

One 6 × 6-inch square (15.24 × 15.24 cm) of thin origami paper. Ruler and pencil for the marked distances. No scissors or glue.

Start the interactive guide ↓
Read all illustrated steps ↓Download PDF ↓ · one-page illustrated guide
Flat Origami Car: two triangular wheels below a folded body and sloping windshield
Two triangular wheels below a folded body and sloping windshield

Follow along

Preparation

The interactive guide needs JavaScript. Read every illustrated step below.

Camera only; does not change the fold.
Help · controls & diagram

Play or drag the progress slider to watch a fold from 0% to 100%. Use the view buttons or drag the diagram to look from another angle.

Blue and gold identify the original left and right halves, not the literal colors of your paper. Darker shades show the reverse. Orange marks moving paper and its hinge.

With the diagram focused: Space plays or pauses, ←/→ change steps, and Home resets.

Every step, at a glance

Compare your paper with each diagram after completing the action. Blue and gold identify the original left and right halves, not the literal colors of your paper. Darker shades show the reverse. Orange marks moving paper and its hinge.

  1. 0. Prepare the square
  2. 1. Crease across the middle
  3. 2. Open the square
  4. 3. Crease the vertical center
  5. 4. Open the cross creases
  6. 5. Raise the lower band
  7. 6. Fold the right wheel
  8. 7. Fold the left wheel
  9. 8. Lower the body panel
  10. 9. Raise the cabin
  11. 10. Slope the windshield
  12. 11. Turn over the finished car
  1. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldPrepare the square

    PREPARATION · Linked photographic construction

    Prepare the square

    Set the square with level edges. Either face can be uppermost; paper colored on both sides gives a uniform car.

    Layers: One uncut square.

    Check: All corners are square.

    Explore this step ↑
  2. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldCrease across the middle

    STEP 1 · Linked photographic construction

    Crease across the middle

    Bring the top edge down to the bottom edge and press the fold.

    Layers: Move the entire upper half.

    Check: The horizontal edges coincide.

    Explore this step ↑
  3. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldOpen the square

    STEP 2 · Linked photographic construction

    Open the square

    Lift the folded half fully back to the table.

    Layers: Open the same half.

    Check: A horizontal center crease remains.

    Explore this step ↑
  4. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldCrease the vertical center

    STEP 3 · Linked photographic construction

    Crease the vertical center

    Bring the right edge across to the left edge.

    Layers: Move the full right half.

    Check: The side edges coincide.

    Explore this step ↑
  5. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldOpen the cross creases

    STEP 4 · Linked photographic construction

    Open the cross creases

    Unfold completely.

    Layers: Open the same half.

    Check: The two center creases cross in the middle.

    Explore this step ↑
  6. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldRaise the lower band

    STEP 5 · Linked photographic construction

    Raise the lower band

    Bring the bottom edge up to the horizontal center crease.

    Layers: Move the lower quarter of the sheet.

    Check: The band is 1.5 inches high.

    Explore this step ↑
  7. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFold the right wheel

    STEP 6 · Linked photographic construction

    Fold the right wheel

    Find the midpoint of the band’s upper free edge. Fold the right part of the band downward along a line from this midpoint to the lower right corner of the band.

    Layers: Move only the raised band, leaving the broad sheet behind it still.

    Check: A triangular wheel projects below the lower edge.

    Explore this step ↑
  8. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFold the left wheel

    STEP 7 · Linked photographic construction

    Fold the left wheel

    Mirror that fold from the same midpoint to the lower left band corner.

    Layers: Move only the left part of the raised band.

    Check: Two matching triangular wheels extend below the body.

    Explore this step ↑
  9. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldLower the body panel

    STEP 8 · Linked photographic construction

    Lower the body panel

    Fold the upper half down on the original horizontal center crease.

    Layers: Move the whole upper half over the wheels. Keep the wheel band still.

    Check: The lowered panel covers both wheels.

    Explore this step ↑
  10. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldRaise the cabin

    STEP 9 · Linked photographic construction

    Raise the cabin

    Measure 3/4 inch down from the top closed edge of the lowered panel. Fold the lower part of that panel back upward along this horizontal line.

    Layers: Move only the body panel. Leave the wheels and backing in place.

    Check: The wheels reappear below a broad body strip and a rectangular cabin.

    Explore this step ↑
  11. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldSlope the windshield

    STEP 10 · Linked photographic construction

    Slope the windshield

    On the raised cabin, mark 1.5 inches left of its upper right corner and 1.5 inches down its right edge. Fold the corner toward you along the line joining those marks.

    Layers: Move only the raised cabin corner.

    Check: A diagonal windshield replaces the square upper right corner.

    Explore this step ↑
  12. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldTurn over the finished car

    STEP 11 · Linked photographic construction

    Turn over the finished car

    Turn the entire model over from side to side and press it flat. Optionally draw windows and a door with a pen.

    Layers: Turn all layers together; keep every fold closed.

    Check: Two triangular wheels, a straight body strip and a sloping windshield form a complete flat car. The wheels do not roll.

    Explore this step ↑
Sources & notes

Origami Way, Origami Way: Flat Origami Car (web tutorial).

Photographic construction reference ↗

The reference does not identify a designer or establish a design-reuse license. Traditional authorship is not verified here. Its photographs and prose remain protected and are not reproduced. All instructions, geometry and drawings here are independently authored; no project-wide reuse license is implied.

Adaptation: Uses the complete flat car with two triangular wheels, not the different four-wheel car with inside-reverse-fold windshields. The reference uses a 7-inch square; this version scales the construction to 6 inches. Wheel hinges connect the center to each lower band corner. The body return is 3/4 inch below the center crease; the windshield is a 1.5-inch right triangle. Optional windows and doors are drawn, not separate paper pieces.

Original instructions and diagrams, made with AI assistance. About & reuse

Accuracy notes

Real-paper follow-along and paper weight have not been tested. Diagrams illustrate the sequence, not paper thickness, contact, collisions or exact layer visibility. Rigid-axis teaching folds retain the material coordinates of one uncut square. Exact shaping landmarks are authored adaptations. Zero-thickness diagrams do not simulate paper thickness or prove physical foldability. Real-paper folding has not been tested.