THE WORLD’S “greenest racing car”, which features a steering wheel built from carrot fibres and a body built out of cashew nuts will have its first competitive race next month.
Assembled with the help of researchers from the University of Ulster (UU), it runs on biodiesel made from chocolate waste.
The Formula 3 car, created under the supervision of the Warwick Manufacturing Group at Warwick University at a cost of just £500,000 (€570,000), is known officially as WorldFirst and will be put through its paces on October 17th.
Dr Julie Soden, researcher at the University of Ulster, helped make a barge board, positioned behind the front wheels.
“It’s exciting and refreshing to see a product coming out of the research lab,” Dr Soden said.
As well as vegetable fibres – cellulose nanofibres – the car contains recycled carbon fibres from the aerospace industry.
The engine is a drastically re-engineered BMW 2-litre diesel engine that runs on biodiesel.
Although the rigid rules of Formula 3 – a traditional stepping stone to Formula 1 racing – would not normally allow a car of WorldFirst’s specifications to take part in its races, the Warwick team has been given a partial waiver.
For safety reasons, engineers have had to retain a conventional cockpit, tyres and wheels for the Brands Hatch race.