Several years ago, I worked (9 or 10 months) for a small fiberglass boat manufacturer. During my short tenure, the owner was developing a new model/design for production. The process required perfectly smooth "plugs" to pull molds from... so, we sanded, polished, sanded and polished (like mad) 'til the plugs were acceptably perfect... never mind the wood experts who created the plugs to begin with...
Having said all that, I appreciate the craftsmanship and beauty in the wooden Corvette "plug"... truly a work of art and thanks for posting, Tripper!