Chicago (IL) - With a vehicle body made from potatoes, a steering wheel made from carrots, the ability to run on waste chocolate and vegetable oil, the 140 mph Environ-MENTAL is the first formula 3 race car designed from materials that are both sustainable and renewable.

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Used by the WorldFirst Racing Team, a project of the University of Warwick’s UK-based Warwick Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre (WIMRC), the team plans to show the automotive industry that designing and building an environmentally sustainable competition level race car is possible. The team hopes to change public opinion, and prove that environmentally-friendly can be both fun and exciting.

The Environ-Mental is green from start to finish, from building the vehicle; to its disposal it puts the environment first. You will find

- 3D woven natural fiber composites in the barge board Composite steering wheel composed of carrots and other root vegetables - Wing mirrors comprised of potato starch - Wing end plates comprised of both flax and cellulose composite - Lightweight wiring which utilizes recycled plastics and aluminum - A biodiesel-powered, race calibrated engine - Plant oil based lubricant - Side pod composed of glass fiber and resin from recycled plastics - A seat designed using flax fiber shell, recycled polyester and soybean oil foam - Recycled carbon-fiber for the damper hatch and engine cover - Pre-impregnated woven flax fiber for the big - Non-carbon disks with low embodied energy for the brakes - A catalyst which generates oxygen on the radiators and cleans the air when the vehicle is in motion

The chassis is based on a Lola B05/30 that integrates a BMW M47 diesel engine. The 2.0 liter power plant generates about 220 hp and will accelerate the car to a top speed of about 140 mph.