We have a date set for a professional to visit the IMW workshop in mid-April and teach us how to pull a mold off of Seven. This means the month of March will be a flurry of activity, getting the body ready. Seven’s “skin” has always been rough. The team was behind schedule to meet the X-Prize Shakedown date so

Work continues on Seven’s remodel. A lot of hours have been spent sculpting the new curves and making sure they’re as symmetrical as possible. The rear of the car is the most altered. It doesn’t flare out as far and now has body lines not unlike tail fins. The front of the car is a little narrower and has body

After putting a lot of miles on Seven this year, she’s back in the workshop for some cosmetic surgery. The body was constructed in February 2010 when the team was rushing to meet the X PRIZE deadline. The fit and finish wasn’t what we wanted or what Seven deserved. Now there is time to go back and make changes. This

This winter, we received word that funding for coast down and dyno testing was available but that the deadline to use it was the end of March. Finally! A chance to get official data proving what 7 could do! We knew from the XPrize that with a slipping clutch costing a lot of efficiency, the 3000+ pound car could still

Since receiving its VIN and license plates, Seven has cruised Route 66, attended at drive in movie, and been driven as a commuter car in Springfield, IL. I think its time to celebrate. If you’re in the Springfield, IL area, be sure to attend the IL State Fair Twilight Parade, Thursday, August 12, at 6pm. Illuminati Motor Works and Seven

We built a 4 seat BEV that has a range of over 200 miles. It achieves over 180 MPGe on the highway. It can go well over 85 mph. With its steel framework it is safe to drive in traffic. And the 10 cubic foot trunk room? You can stow a lot of groceries in there, along with a spare

We’ve had some requests for IMW t-shirts so one late night I took a few of the suggested slogans and put together artwork and a CafePress store to sell them. There’s virtually no profit to IMW for any of the sales ($1 an item is our margin), but we figured, hey, fans asked, we’ll do it. We’re happy for the

Writer Jason Fagone’s Illuminati photo: Seven on a country road at night, paused after a test drive. Kevin driving, Nate riding shotgun with dueling laptops hooked into the brain of the car, me in the back, and somehow author Jason Fagone managed to unfold his long, lean frame from a cramped back seat to take this photo. It was an

We’ve had absolutely no time since Shakedown to work with the press or invite the governor or other dignitaries to our workshop. Work to improve Seven has been daily and with a deadline that is screaming up fast. There was no time to have the car professionally painted, so I painted it. My 12 year wedding anniversary with Kevin fell

So much has changed on Seven since Shakedown. Edison2 put a bug in Kevin’s ear about how to reduce Seven’s weight, and he took their advice seriously. The trunk lids, hood, dash board, and center console have all been remade using fiberglass and peel ply. That removed approximately 60 pounds from the car. Trading out the comfortable seats for lighter