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@NateCraven318

3 ай бұрын

I am so happy I decided to watch the sponsor segment that SponsorBlock would have skipped over. Thanks to your sponsorship, I've been getting the cleanest shaves I've ever had. This razor is amazing, and what's even better is that it will take literally any ten-cent double-edge razor blade out there. Best razor ever.

In case anyone was wondering as I was, the First Place prize went to Team Edison2 and their VLC (Very Light Car). It was powered by a single cylinder 250cc motor and got 102.5 MPG. So the winner was slower, less efficient, more cramped and much noisier.

@dr.brainzdead

7 ай бұрын

So why did it win then?

@gamemeister27

7 ай бұрын

Damned clutch 😢

@SuperUltimateLP

7 ай бұрын

​@dr.brainzdead it moved, the 7 was broken because there unnecessary clutch gave up

@dr.brainzdead

7 ай бұрын

Ah, man that sucks

@doorgoo

7 ай бұрын

What’s extra nonsense is the VLC had TWO cars entered (in that class, they also built for the other classes and they failed too) and BOTH failed before validation and they went with previous testing numbers. Basically sounds like they had no teams that made it and almost arbitrarily selected VLC to win.

Love that the car is still evolving well after the contest is over. Dude didnt build a car for a contest, dude used a contest as an excuse to build a car. Love it

I love the styling... it's like what people in 1958 thought the future would look like.

@hadtopicausername

7 ай бұрын

Actually, the shape of it reminds me a lot of some designs from the late 1930s. Like the streamliner versions of the German Grand Prix cars of that era.

@drunkenhobo8020

7 ай бұрын

​@@hadtopicausernameYeah the Auto Union Type C Streamliner popped into my head.

@michaelcoe5628

7 ай бұрын

I was looking at it, and near instantly thought of the Auburn Roadster and Cord, both from the 1930s.

@jessebrook1688

7 ай бұрын

I thought of the Chrysler Phaeton, personally, from 1997.

@michaelmechex

7 ай бұрын

As far as my basic understanding of aerodynamics go, that's the whole reason behind that round, elongated shape. Same as in the 30s, when they tried to make cars fast without putting a gigantic airplane engine into them

It's a crime it didn't win, really love the aesthetics of it too.

the Seven ironically looks like the exact opposite of the sharp and overly detailed/designed modern EVs

@SuperUltimateLP

7 ай бұрын

That's because we are living in a strange time we're cars tend to have a angry/brutalist look to them. Elon is really trying to make a efficient doorwedge and people want to buy it... Back in the 60s cute aerodynamic styling was king and in the 80-90 everything went flat and square because CAD wasn't as advanced yet.

@TheGrejp

7 ай бұрын

​@@SuperUltimateLP Aerodynamic design actually started already in the 1930s and it was beautiful back then. These angry boxes we have today are not only ugly, they're unsafe for pedestrians, too.

@MrDuncl

7 ай бұрын

Yes. What is with the trend for fake radiator grills on EVs ?

@SuperUltimateLP

7 ай бұрын

@TheGrejp the reason I counted up from the 60s was that early aerodynamic design was just guesswork.. The "famous" example of the jaguar mark V that is aerodynamically better in reverse comes to mind. Personally i don't subscribe to the fact that modern car design is worse for pedestrians, it's the increase of size that concerns me the most. Slowly the SUV is displacing the sedan or other more practical designs (in terms of aerodynamics)

@SuperUltimateLP

7 ай бұрын

@MrDuncl from a designers perspective it's difficult to fill the front of a vehicle without air intakes. If I look at a tesla from the front I get severely unhappy, there is something missing....

@agingwheels What a great show! I am one of the team members that helped bring 7 into existence. From drawing chalk lines on the garage floor, to helping build the actual workshop we built her in. It was a life changing experience to put it mildly. If we had this kind of support back then we would have won hands down! Regardless, I have made lifelong friendships from this experience and that is a beautiful consolation prize! Cheers!

@FishyBoi1337

7 ай бұрын

Amazing work! I'm sorry y'all didn't win it, it sounds like y'all had it in the bag if it weren't for that darn clutch!

@joshuaspradlin7217

7 ай бұрын

@@FishyBoi1337 yeah it’s still a bitter pill to swallow! We SMOKED the “winner” in every category.

@AB0BA_69

7 ай бұрын

@@joshuaspradlin7217I'm surprised that "ground up" development of this vehicle was "only" 200k. I'm guessing that's only materials and does not include labor (or building the workshop). You guys did amazing work! I can absolutely believe you when you say it was a "life changing experience". 😊

@joshuaspradlin7217

7 ай бұрын

@@AB0BA_69 yes all the labor was voluntary. We all would have got a piece of the prize should we have won. Every hour by everyone that contributed was logged and would have been compensated accordingly.

@AB0BA_69

7 ай бұрын

@@joshuaspradlin7217 Oh yeah, I'm not saying it was unfair or anything. I would have volunteered just for the experience if I had relevant skills back then. It's a hell of a story and/or item for a resume :)

I love when the reason is "someone said it couldn't be done, so I did" - bravo!

@barrishautomotive

7 ай бұрын

It's impossible to deposit a million dollars into my checking account. Can't be done. I challenge anyone to even try.

@TheRealAlpha2

7 ай бұрын

@@barrishautomotive I applaud the effort.

@bend8353

7 ай бұрын

- Stockton Rush

@foximacentauri7891

7 ай бұрын

@@bend8353 the difference being, with a failing car you usually don’t kill a bunch of innocents.

@jwalster9412

7 ай бұрын

​@@foximacentauri7891if the car caught fire, at least it has Gullwing doors that aren't bolted down, and you can actually leave because you arnt 1000s of miles deep underwater

This thing gets bonus points for looks alone. What an utterly incredible machine.

@GrumpyIan

7 ай бұрын

It looks like an old VW. (Specifically the Karmann Ghia)

The dude who made the car is really funny. If you're able you should see if he wants to do a random ass project with you. No idea what but it would be a funny duo for sure. Love your content!

That interior is so impressive for a home built vehicle, seriously impressed. Looks more like a prototype for a large company than something made in a garage!

@IlluminatiMotorWorks

7 ай бұрын

Thanks! It’s a far cry from the rolls of speaker fabric we originally had the interior decked out in 😂

I clicked on it because of Aging Wheels, then i was amazed by the car, and at the end i was left with the desire for a razor blade, what a roller coaster

Robert never disappoints in finding/sharing the most oddball cars imaginable.

Never, EVER tell an engineer they can't do something Not only will they do it, they'll reinvent the entire concept while doing it

@user-74652

7 ай бұрын

Wouldn't that be a reason why you _should_ tell them they can't do something?

@Bobmcjoepants

7 ай бұрын

@@user-74652 think of the power they'd wield then!

Given that this car was a one off, made by someone who isn't even at an automotive company, this is impressive on every metric. Some of the little touches such as regen braking and 4 wheel steering, just shows the level of attention to detail. Bravo!

The charisma the man has is astonishing. And he has the intelligence and engineering know how to back it up. The man should have his own channel, he's fun.

@IlluminatiMotorWorks

7 ай бұрын

Why, thank you 😊

Man I love the design of the car. it looks straight out of Tex Avery's "Car of Tomorrow", its great. Kudos to him and his team for building this!

I converted an old VW beetle to an EV back in the mid 2000's. Unlike the car you have in this vidya, mine was incredibly inefficient. 10 lead-acid batteries actually made it heavier than a stock VW. A Netgain brushed DC motor without regen and a Kelly controller made it go. It accelerated about the same as a stock VW, but I only got about 15 miles range out of it. But the cost of my project was one tenth the cost of "7". Great learning experience for me.

@KevTech1

7 ай бұрын

Yep, it's all about the experience ⚡🚙

@foximacentauri7891

7 ай бұрын

Lead-acid batteries are cheap and easy to work with, but a very bad choice for lightweight, high-capacity applications by today’s standards. Man a lot has happened in the last 20 years.

@IlluminatiMotorWorks

7 ай бұрын

Sounds like an awesome ride and the important thing is you DID it.

@2coolwheels139

7 ай бұрын

I really wanted to use lithium batteries, but they were incredibly expensive at the time. And even now, they're not exactly cheap! @@foximacentauri7891

@2coolwheels139

7 ай бұрын

Yeah, I really had fun with it.@@IlluminatiMotorWorks

0:25 is the EV ASMR we didn't know we needed ☺️👂

@hitmanslayer3003

7 ай бұрын

One of the worst noises known to man kind.

@MrTechfreak95

7 ай бұрын

yeah, beautiful indeed.

@XeloX

7 ай бұрын

all I hear is tyre noise and crunching leaves/ground, my hearing may be terrible though (unless that is what you meant)

@Kilgorio

7 ай бұрын

Wow

@rtz549

7 ай бұрын

Bummer about the clutch.

11:45 - I appreciate the owner/builder not wanting to treat it like some garage queen. That said, I would be terrified to drive it, just because if I do mess up, it's a one of a kind vehicle. Not that I am in the habit of getting into accidents.

I love this thing. Car companies need to make stuff like this for those of us who do not subscribe to the current "the bigger, boxier and heavier the SUV is the better car it is" doctrine of design everybody seems hellbent on following.

@jrstoelting

7 ай бұрын

Aptera

@hebijirik

7 ай бұрын

@@jrstoelting I know it and I like it. But it is US only, 2 seats only and I have some pretty bad experience with 3-wheelers (loss of grip on the rear wheel can be easy to happen and hard to recover, I hope Aptera has some clever electronic stability enhancements to mitigate this).

@NEEDbacon

7 ай бұрын

It'd be great if we could just get away from SUV's and Cross overs all together, but sadly that ain't happening.

@lkrnpk

4 ай бұрын

It will happen, preferences change… but maybe it will not change very soon

@bensmith4563

3 ай бұрын

The epa is part of the reason we have such massive cars

I love how the body design reminds me of a tatra 87, so nicely streamlined

The efficiency of this car is absolutely insane. Less than 10kWh/100km, AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, is unrivaled. Incredible achievement.

@martijnkosters9024

7 ай бұрын

In 2010! Were nowhere near almost 15 years later.

@erikziak1249

7 ай бұрын

It comes mostly to aerodynamics. I can easily drive my e-up at or below 10kWh/100km, but not fast, as its aerodynamics sucks. The drag coefficient is 0,308, so anything above 65 km/h is off limits if you want to drive at or below 10kWh/100km.

@DanielThirion

7 ай бұрын

@@erikziak1249 I have a renault zoe, getting less than 12.5kwh/100km is off-reach, even at 50kph

@BadHaddy

7 ай бұрын

Because it's massively cheating. There's no safety structure at all (no weight) and it doesn't have to meet any collision rules, so it's design is almost entirely aerodynamics. It's rather trivial to do with modern technology, but impossible to meet FMVSS or ENCAP or make it safe at all.

@StartledPancake

7 ай бұрын

It has a steel lattice frame and carbon fiber body, I suspect it's far safer the the Geo parts doner vehicle​

4:52 - There's a real eye for it and value to being able to edit with such good comedic timing.

This guy should be on the show more often!

If I know anything about the car community it's that Miata owners are some of the most wildly varied group of people. You'll have a Miata with a fully modded hellcat engine drifting around a course then you'll see a pristine all original Miata in a Walmart parking lot. And they're all insane. Every single one of them. But what that also means is because this car has a few Miata parts on it, it's now a Miata.

I had the honour of riding in Seven on EVCCON 2015. It was a nice experience.

This looks so old, and yet so futuristic. I love it!

I'd buy one of those cars if it's reasonably priced. Also, I really enjoy the way you do sponsored ads.

What an amazing looking car. It's a crime it didn't win

Not only a work of art, but a brilliant piece of engineering. Some truly impressive work by Kevin and his team.

@IlluminatiMotorWorks

7 ай бұрын

Thank you!

Hey man, I was the guy in the Bolt today at the charger in TN. Just wanted to drop by and say it was great meeting you guys!

Great concept and implementation. Throw in the Citreon DS suspension and it would be great for rougher roads.

That trunk looked really large, it even had a spare driver in it. :D

This thing is awesome, and embodies what I wish more consumer EVs were like rather than being big inefficient shapes with inherently poor range due to bad aero.

I remember seeing this when they made it. was big news in central/southern IL

As cool as this is - the thing that caught my eye immediately was the Millenium Falcon on the window. I had that on my cars for almost 15 years! A very nice touch, especially for a home built car.

@benjblackson

7 ай бұрын

I just made this exact comment XD

@fredinit

7 ай бұрын

I liked the Hula dancer on the dash. Nice touch.😀

That car is really cool! The styling made me think of Art Deco. I wanted to see more wood in the interior.

Now this is where I want an electric vehicle. No luxuries, good range, simple design. High MPGe with acceptable range means small battery if the inverter is efficient enough, which equates to a cheaper battery replacement. Something I could drive during the week and charge over the weekend. Another thought, when are manufactures going to develop heatpumps for vehicles?

@MrDuncl

7 ай бұрын

Many EVs have heatpumps. In fact I just checked and the Tesla Model 3 now has one as standard.

@MathewPuthiakunnel

7 ай бұрын

Keep an eye on Aptera. Still unsure if it’ll go into production but the efficiency is there with some creature comforts most people will appreciate in modern cars

It has no touch screen. I fully approve of this car.

I remember the X prize. I'm sad to hear that Kevin and his team only came in 2nd. That's a really cool car.

So proud of Illinois ❤

It looks like a cross between a Tucker and an early Porsche. It's also a bit Tatra-ish with the shape and chassis design. I like it. Really cool build. It's impressive that this was built in a garage. The name joke is pretty funny and the backwards back seats is also pretty funny. The headlights appear to be modernized '39 Ford units. They fit well with the aerodynamic art deco design.

13:02 thats deadline thing worked great for your electric car project

Two things that´d concern me would be the rear overhang and the wheelbase. At least where I live, ramps in parking garages are steep, dont know how it is in the US... Otherwise VERY cool!

@davidjones332

7 ай бұрын

I think the very thick A-pillars would be another concern in everyday use -very easy to miss someone at a junction, but it's a fabulous shape.

This is increadible! One of my favorite youtube videos to date. It is absoutley absurd they reached such performance values in 2010

As a fellow central Illinoisan, it's great to see this car's story and history brought back up. I used to follow Illuminati motor works and the X-PRIZE story pretty close, but after they got 2nd place, I kinda forgot about it. Thank you, Robert, for reminding me about this.

@CantankerousDave

7 ай бұрын

I’m in the area too (east-central). I wonder how many of the team are from the engineering department at UIUC.

@IlluminatiMotorWorks

7 ай бұрын

@@CantankerousDaveKevin has a degree in chemical engineering from UIC. George has a degree in mechanical engineering but I can’t remember which university. Otherwise, we’re all average folk with various skills who worked together on 7 and learned a lot.

This is beautiful crafts(wo)manship and engineering.

LOVE this car and the styling is top notch, 50s Porsche looking nose, 60 Avanti tail, connected with 30s French Master Coach like design with no wind resistance. Frigging miracle

Before Alex at legit street cars sells his space van, you should try to check it out. He's shown all the weird stuff, but your ev knowledge may add to its story.

Homer's car but Homer actually knew what he was doing. Love it!

@AaronHendu

4 ай бұрын

Has anyone tried to build a one off of the Homer car yet?

@KelseyDrummer

2 ай бұрын

​@@AaronHenduYeah it looks awesome! Someone built it with a E30 BMW 3-series.

Looks like something out of thunderbirds. Awesome stuff!! I love this thing

Awesome car. Much better panel gaps than a certain other brand, too!

I'd so drive this thing! Also and astoundly clean looking build.

@IlluminatiMotorWorks

7 ай бұрын

Thank you

Reminds me of what you get if an MGA and an old Porsche make sweet love and 9 years later this car is hatched. It's really lovely.

@MrDuncl

7 ай бұрын

It looks like a number of experimental Aerodynamic cars made in the 1930s before the Kammback was invented.

@AdamWaffen

7 ай бұрын

Keep your thoughts to yourself. That’s just queer.

Dang, that thing looks beautiful! The body shape reminds of a Studebaker Champion or something like that.

I'm always impressed by the modern 'historical footnotes' you manage to find! This one is no different. Thank you.

The dashboard reminds me a lot of the Panhard CT24. :) I followed the X-Prize back in the day, cool to see a more in depth view. Thanks for making the video Rober, and, Kevin thanks for making the car! :)

Neat car. Looks like a future design from the 50's ❤

Legitimately aesthetically pleasing.

I love the art deco styling

Well, I can say none of us expected this to be behind the black blob! What an incredible, beautiful, astounding vehicle! It was great having the creator on too!

"It just takes will, getting other people on board, motivation, and a deadline." Oh and $200.000 but who's counting. 🤣

@agingwheels

7 ай бұрын

The will part is what leads to the money. He didn't start out with all that money. He had to make it work!

@IlluminatiMotorWorks

7 ай бұрын

That was $200,00 over many years. Almost all of Kevin’s income for a couple years, a mortgage, and donations from a lot of people.

@experimentalcyborg

7 ай бұрын

@@IlluminatiMotorWorks Damn, that's ridiculous dedication! Respect!

@gteixeira

6 ай бұрын

​@@IlluminatiMotorWorksThere you go, the money was the most important part of the project.

I'm not a ev fan but this dude beating on the car and overbuilding it = mad respect from me, GG!!!

Looks like one of those concept cars from the 50s or 60s. Love it.

The Fallout sedan prop has come to life, I see.

This is insanely awesome and impressive, thank you for sharing! Kudos to Kevin and his team and everyone else researching and experimenting in this field, they're truly expanding the limits of mankind's knowledge and achievements. 100 years from now they'll probably be looking at this car in a museum as one of the first stepping stones in hyper-efficient EVs.

@IlluminatiMotorWorks

7 ай бұрын

Thank you!

His project reminded me of a old project i was designing on paper thanks now time to start up work on it again.

@IlluminatiMotorWorks

7 ай бұрын

Do it.

Thank you for adding metric conversions to your videos. The rest of the world and myself really appreciated!

A look at the edison hybrid semi truck would be cool

@danielseelye6005

7 ай бұрын

I think Robert would get a kick out of "Topsy" ⚡🐘

you know a real trunk that can hold an entire body is starting to become a rarity these days.

It looked awkward from afar but it's beyond awsome!!!

I haven't seen any comments about it, but I absolutely love the "pop in" intro you usually do, and this is the best one so far.

It was a wonderful experience to ride in the prototype at the SAE Rockford-Beloit section meeting at the Rockford Speedway. It is nice to see it in its finished state!

@IlluminatiMotorWorks

7 ай бұрын

Thank you! Rockford SAE is AWESOME. To everyone out there reading this, they invited us up to give a presentation. I asked if it was alright if I brought the car because listening to me can get boring (event to me) after two or four hours. They replied, “hope you don’t mind, we rented the speedway.” How cool is that?

@tjfranck6

7 ай бұрын

I think after the ride you gave me in Seven which was so inspiring is the reason I drive an EV today.

@3:34 that car left to the seven is a Twike! A very cool looking one that was never sold imho.

Wow, pretty incredible. Nice to see, thanks for showing.

Looking for some inspiration for the Electric Escape? This was really cool to see!

That door design reminds me a lot of the Saab Aero-X concept. It looks futuristic and retro but not impractical all at the same time.

@AgentWest

7 ай бұрын

I drove a gullwing car for a while, and can confirm, the design is way more convenient than regular doors. For one, they don't swing out past the car much, so you can't really get "boxed in" at a parking lot. Also since the door opens upwards, it keeps you dry-er while getting in/out in the rain.

@DrKoneko

7 ай бұрын

@@AgentWest Back before I was old enough to drive or ride in the front seat I always wanted a Tesla Model X because getting boxed in was stressful for 10 year old me and MiniVan doors wouldn't keep you dry and it rain daily where I live.

The ad at the end shows me you have integrity and you wont scam your audience. Lovely channel. Sadly I already have that type of shaver already :D And enough blades for years

Fantastic... thanks Robert for making videotaping and posting this interesting video.

This is totally a Thunderbirds design. A baby FAB 1. (a remake one but still)

This is what i want, why are nobody building cars like this, simple and full size, car, not a stupid SUV, or tiny car with poor range, just something to compete with the old cars i can afford, without all the annoying equipment that always break.

@vincenzo082

7 ай бұрын

Blame the epa for killing innovation and forcing auto makers to make big blocky trucks and ugly full sized sedans

Thank you for covering this incredible piece of automotive art. Could quite happily watch a multi hour long video between you two discussing the build over a beer or two.

This was excellent -- the video and subject. Loved every bit of it.

Why have you not covered the Tango yet? it is BY FAR the fastest EV ever made. they are incredible

@IlluminatiMotorWorks

7 ай бұрын

The Tango was a thing of beauty on the track.

This is so cool!!

I'm so glad this video was made! It's great!

Great video! Thanks Kevin.

Interior is beautiful! Definitely much more tasteful than most new cars

@beardsntools

7 ай бұрын

it's not actually it's pretty bad

@Arcidi225

7 ай бұрын

@@beardsntools I like it though.

@beardsntools

7 ай бұрын

@@Arcidi225 You probably like it because it's homemade, if this was produced by a factory, you'd have higher standards

@Arcidi225

7 ай бұрын

@@beardsntools I don't think so, I just like how it looks.

One dude and a bunch of his friends is more creative and can produce a prototype that is leagues ahead of what most auto-motor industry can make. This is amazing and depressive at the same time.

I remember reading about the X prize and Ansari X prize competitions in WIRED magazine, I was a kid back then and I thought it was the coolest competition to join.

I like that you interviewed him

So Seven... of nine, perhaps? You should get Jeri Ryan to drive it. Would watch.

"Back when it was painted black, apparently he would just walk up this thing and kick the gull wing doors shut..." "...he wants it to be treated like a car" Yes, because walking on top of your car and kicking the doors shut is a perfectly normal thing people do with their cars. :D

@IlluminatiMotorWorks

7 ай бұрын

Nothing perfectly normal about Kevin Smith 😂

@AaronHendu

4 ай бұрын

I told them to paint it silver or black...then read comments saying it has alteady been silver...AND black lol

Wow! props to the team who built it! Amazing machine!

I love the talking head shots in the true VINwiki style. Lovely nod. Awesome video in general, showcasing an awesome vehicle!

If you want to see me puke my guts out, drive me around in one of those reversed back seats for about 10 minutes. The national railroads will testify this claim. 😆 Incredible machine, looks like something from the Roaring Twenties. It just looks extremely Tomorrowland, this machine.

Made by a man (people) in a shed, the way the best stories always start.

That car is slick looking. Neat little thing.

That is an AMAZING achievement! Thanks for covering this vehicle.