Car powered by wine and chocolate and made from carrot tops and drinks bottles will line up in Formula Three race
Powered by chocolate, steered by carrots and a body made of potatoes, but it goes from 0 to 60 faster than any other Formula Three car. Photograph: University of Warwick
A racing car built from recycled drinks bottles, old aircraft panels and carrot tops will line up for its first competitive race next month.
The Formula Three car, which runs on fuel derived from chocolate waste and wine dregs, will take part in a race at the iconic Brands Hatch circuit in Kent.
Engineers at Warwick University built the vehicle as part of a project designed to push green technology to its limits.
The £500,000 car has a top speed of 170mph and can accelerate faster than a conventional Formula Three car, reaching 60mph from a standing start in around 2.5 seconds.
"We want to show that green can be fun, that it can be sexy," said Kerry Kirwan, project leader at the Warwick Manufacturing Group.
The car's chasis was salvaged from a scrapped vehicle, as was the two litre BMW diesel engine. More than half of the body panels are from materials destined for landfill, such as old carbon fibre aircraft panels. With a driver, the car weighs 550kg and produces 230 brake horsepower.
The car's steering wheel was produced by a Scottish company that turns fibres from carrot waste into fishing rods and other products. "For some reason the steering wheel came out purple. We think some beetroot might have got into it," said Kirwan.
To comply with race regulations, the wheels, tires and cockpit are built to standard Formula Three specifications.
Kirwan said the technology being developed for the car should in time be picked up by road car manufacturers. Much of the panelling used in the car is categorised as waste that manufacturers pay to dispose of.
"We're not saying that this is the answer to the world's environmental problems, but it's a step in the right direction," Kirwan said. "We believe it's the greenest car in its class."
In test drives, the car has already reached a top speed of 135mph. At Brands Hatch, the engineers hope to achieve 150mph. At race speed, the car manages a fuel efficiency of 35 miles per gallon.
The driver, 20-year-old Aaron Steele, will race the car at Brands Hatch on 17th October.
"We're now happy that the car's ready to go in [for the race] and not come last," said Kirwan.
The car was completed three months ago and has undergone trials at the Goodwood racing course in West Sussex.
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