WorldFirst Formula 3 racing car built from veg and fuelled by chocolate

May 27 2009 by Karen Dent, The Journal

IT has bodywork built from potatoes, a carrot-based steering wheel, soya bean-filled seats and can reach speeds of 145mph fuelled by chocolate.

Now this Formula 3 car is aiming to show it has the recipe for success when it takes to the race track later this year.

Known as the WorldFirst Formula 3 racing car, the single-seater vehicle was produced by a North East engine expert and a team from Warwick University.

The university approached Scott Racing, based in Meadowfield near Durham City, to develop a performance engine that could use more environmentally-friendly fuels to take on traditional racing cars.

Tim Scott from Scott Racing said: “Testing of the car is going very well. I drove it last week. We’re hoping we’re going to be very competitive in Formula 3 cars. A lot of development work has gone into the engine to allow us to get the power and performance. It’s got a top speed of 145mph but it’ll probably get up to 160mph, once we change the gearing.”

The County Durham firm was contacted by the university because it has already worked on a number of top-spec engines powered by alternative fuels.

Mr Scott said: “The chocolate fuel is made from waste chocolate – the cocoa that separates from the chocolate.

“The actual chocolate-based fuel was produced in a small quantity and we’re also using vegetable-oil based fuel.

“There are going to be more hybrid cars, more cars using biodiesel. Warwick hope they’ll be adopted more widely. But I think a chocolate-derived fuel is the oddest we’ve had to work with. It is fantastic to be supplying a key component to such a high-profile project and also showing some of the expertise that we have in the region for green vehicle technology.” The vegetable based contents of the car will biodegrade over time and the majority of its other building materials can also be reused.