High School Wins 2008 Shell Eco-marathon With 2,843 MPG

In a competition open to high schools and universities alike, Evansville, Indiana based Mater Dei High School won the 2008 Shell Eco-marathon with a jaw dropping 2,843 MPG. The staggering figure was achieved under less than ideal conditions and with a driver heavier than intended, but incredibly impressive no less. Also of note, this type of car was the first one your Detroit associate editor ever built from scratch, same high mileage idea but for the IMSTEA Supermileage Challenge in 1998. Word is the car only got about 450 MPG, but their team was the fastest car on the track, so it all evens out. Back to this though, if you make the jump to MSNBC and read more, we'd like to know how Purdue managed to get 2,861.8 MPG with their solar car.
Photo credit: Susan Goldman / Shell Oil via AP