Development mule

It has been a while since I first leaked word of The Light Car, an R&D project of Junior Ricardipus #1 Motor Works, Inc. For those of you who a) don't remember, b) didn't read the first post, or c) have no idea what I'm talking about for any other reason at all, a brief update. When last we saw it, the Light Car had reached the stage of being built into a development "mule", capable of something less than the targeted three trillion kilometres per hour.

Following an extensive design process which you can read about at length, some careful calculations were performed:


Very hard math was required.

And then the hard work of engineering the prototype began. After many hours of labour, the prototype was completed!


Not exactly as shown in the plans.

Preliminary testing has been very positive so far, although we are not convinced that the power transfer from the solar panels to the drivetrain is quite where it should be. At a top speed of about 5 kph, the prototype is adequate for shaking out some of the early design bugs, but there is a great deal of work to do in order to achieve the desired performance. The 14-cylinder gasoline engine is also turning out considerably less than the anticipated 2,000 horsepower. The addition of the flames on the side has certainly helped to speed it up, however.

We at Junior Ricardipus #1 Motor Works continue to be enthusiastic about this project, and will work hard to make the Light Car a reality. Coming soon, to a galaxy near you.