Full Throttle

With all the ecco-friendly talk coming from the mouths Babes of Bernie and Mad Max Mosley the last thing we need is for either of them to hear about the latest in F3 design.

What you see is footage of a Coventry-built racing car fueled by chocolate. It also features a carrot steering wheel, potato bodywork, soybean seats and cashew nut brakes, and can still do 125mph around corners.

What, no recycled riding crops?! (Only slightly used by their previous owner and needing a better purpose!- ed)

The £300,000 WorldFirst Formula 3 Racing Car was unveiled by Warwick University researchers today. They hope it will be adopted by Formula 1 teams such as McLaren and Ferrari in the future.

I think Mercedes has other ideas, but hey it can’t hurt to ask right?

Dr Kerry Kirwan, from the research team said: “Components made from plants form the mainstay of the car’s make up, including a race specification steering wheel derived from carrots and other root vegetables, a flax fibre and soybean oil foam racing seat, a woven flax fibre bib, plant oil based lubricants and a biodiesel engine configured to run on fuel derived from waste chocolate and vegetable oil.

“It also incorporates a radiator coated in a ground-breaking emission destroying catalyst.”

Dr Steve Maggs, from the research team, added: “As original equipment manufacturers focus on decreasing engine emissions to meet future CO2, the WorldFirst project proves that if you are going to wholeheartedly embrace the ‘green is great’ ethos you have to broaden your vision and have a strategy that stretches throughout the chain from the raw materials to the final disposal of the car.”

Project manager James Meredith added: “It’s been very exciting working on the project and important for our team to develop a working example of a truly green motor racing car.”

(L-R) Dr Kerry Kirwan, Dr Steve Maggs and Dr James Meredith all worked on the car

There has been much speculation about the creation of this car but it has now been completed and today is the first day it has actually been ready to drive.

Following the recent turmoil in Formula 1 arising from the high costs of running competitive motor racing teams, and doubts in sponsors’ minds over the commercial value of their involvement, the viability of motor racing is being critically questioned. With this in mind the University of Warwick team based in the University’s Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) and the Warwick Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre decided to build a competitive racing car using environmentally sustainable components to show the Industry just how much is possible using current environmentally sustainable technologies.

Forgive me, but one question: Where the hell do you get “waste chocolate?”

Living with a wife and two young daughters that all suffer from The Chocolate Jones and gives new meaning to the term acute case I just don’t see much chocolate waste around my place.

But that’s just me, your mileage - and waste - may vary.

More images of the car and research team are available here.