Our car won the hearts of many at the IDSA National Conference derby race. The design is an upside-down "U" with a large open area through the middle to help with aerodynamics.

The concept for housing the weight element in an unusual location developed into a symmetrical design that would sandwich tungsten rods between the two panels. With a little luck on eBay and a motivated seller, we acquired several boxes of pure tungsten welding rods, which are 70% more dense than lead! The other material we found included a block of Honduras Rosewood, which is almost exactly the same density as acrylic and aluminum. It was finished to a mirror polish to add some contrast.

Our car was considerably faster than the d:e 2005 entry, but the cars with the fancy mechanical concepts ruled the track this year. We finished strong with a tie for 5th place, and by far had the fastest car that merely rolled down the track. While the cars with the mechanical wizardry seemed to garner the most fan attention, there was something about the look of the wood that people liked. That and the surprising heft kept bringing people back. At a final weight of 9lbs, 6oz our car was the 2nd heaviest entry, yet it appeared as if it would be one of the lightest. This year we'll have to settle for the "People's Choice" award.