We did it. We built a practical 100+ mpg car, that seats 4 adults, carries groceries, tows trailers, and we did it without a major sponsor. Josh said it best in the XPrize video on our video page. I will echo his words: “If you have the ability to change the status quo, I believe you have a responsibility to do it!” “Somebody has to do something, and that somebody is us.” “I don’t like the word can’t, you look back to the Wright brothers, that the instant that, that plane left the ground at Kitty hawk, the words man can’t fly ceased to be a truth, nobody can say that anymore, that is not a fact any longer! You can’t get 100 miles per gallon equivalent out of a car, watch!”
That is what we did; we took our ideas and made them a reality. Not only did we build a car that gets 100mpge, we did it within stringent safety and technical requirements. For all of the people that read this that were not at the Michigan international Speedway for the final event, you were not able to witness Seven after she was fixed, taking four people at a time for rides around the vehicle testing area. You were not able to see Seven leave her tire marks around the paddock. You were not there to witness Seven tow the 3200lb Tango T600 to the track for its final race.
The clutch problem is not a problem any longer.
I must applaud the people working for Xprize; you treated us very well. I am happy with everything we did during the Xprize! We had our hearts broken by some things, but I understand sometimes things just happen, if not the reason. Pouring all of your effort into something and still failing is ok in my book, only if you did everything you could to succeed; sometimes you just have to start over from a different point. For some people, failure is just not an option!
I don’t know what the future holds for Illuminati Motor Works. We now have some free time, and with the talent and drive we have proven, I hope we get to shake up the world again.
I have asked God what is my purpose in this world; I thought this was the answer for a time, but who am I to try to understand the will of God? I know, silly me, the reason for being is to compete in the Xprize, but maybe this was the interview!
I have never worked so hard or been challenged to such an extent. Kevin, and Nick Smith, Jen Danzinger, Josh Spradlin, Thomas Pasko, George Kennedy, and me, Nathan Knappenburger, of Illuminati Motor Works conceived, designed, built, tested, and proved that “the 100mpge car doesn’t exist” is not a fact any longer!
