The car will get its first outing on a competitive racing circuit in October at the iconic British motorsport circuit, Brands Hatch, where it will race against other F3 cars (see video at end of article)
Credit: Warwick University/Worldfirst Racing
GUILDFORD, U.K.: Powered by chocolate, and made from waste and recycled products including wing mirrors of potato and a steering wheel of carrot, the world's first high-speed sports car made from sustainable materials has been unveiled in Britain.
It can reach a top speed of over 200 km/h, but the so-called 'Worldfirst' car is about more than just speed, it was designed to "put the planet first" by illustrating how the racing industry can make use of sustainable and renewable resources.
Throwing out the rule book
Kerry Kirwan, researcher at the University of Warwick's manufacturing group, presented the car on Monday at the British Science Festival, held in Guilford, England.
"We've used natural materials, recycled and waste materials [such, as] landfill," he said. "We decided not to stick to the rule book and thought let's go as whacky as possible. It shows that you can use these materials in quite a different way to normal."
The car will get its first outing on a competitive racing circuit in October at the iconic British motorsport circuit, Brands Hatch, where it will race against other 'Formula 3' cars. Formula 3 racing is considered to be an important stepping stone for future Formula 1 drivers.
"We've tested it lots and it's as fast as any other F3 car. We've even tweaked the gearbox so it can go a bit extra on top of the 135 mph [217 km/h] expected," added Kirwan.
The Flying Carrot
Costing £500,000 [A$960,000] to build, the bodywork is made from recycled carbon fibre from aeroplane parts whilst the engine is an old BMW diesel.
Carrot waste, pulped and juiced from industry was strengthened to form a steering wheel, whilst the engine is fuelled by biodiesel derived from waste chocolate, wine or cheese, which ferments into bioethanol. Its carrot component has earned it the nickname 'The Flying Carrot'.
"We chose chocolate because it is fatty but also because manufacturers approached us with their waste products which they usually pay to have removed. We turn it into something useful and revenue-generating," said Kirwan.
The team is now developing other ideas for energy sources and tackling some of the more challenging safety critical features on the car. Future projects under discussion include yachts, motorbikes and even lawnmowers made from similar principles.
The team hope that some of their designs will be modified and eventually used in the mainstream automotive industry.
"It isn't true that F1 developments go into commercial cars anymore, but these new green designs might be a way of returning to the concept of demonstrating new materials in the higher echelons of motor sport and then filtering those down to the mainstream industry," said Kirwan.
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Made from sustainable resources, the Worldfirst racing car is put through its paces (Credit: Warwick University).
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