University of Bath MILEAGE MARATHON car The award won in 1995 brought with it a sum of money which went a long way towards a new engine. At the same time, we were most fortunate to have some sponsorship money from a number of local companies. We wanted to stay with the diesel fuel class and decided on a Robin Diesel, made in Japan by Fuji Heavy Industries. The DY23 version of this direct injection engine powered quite a few of the rival entries. However, due to problems during previous years with a sufficiently reliable starter-motor (which is very necessary due to the "cut and coast" technique employed), we opted for the slightly larger capacity 265cc DY27 engine with its own built-in starter. The smaller engine did not have this feature although later engines now do so. Again, the project was allocated to two pairs of final year students and the car was to have some bodywork. The engine team soon had the Robin stripped to its bare essentials and the flywheel lightened; this latter feature also allowed the engine to sit lower in the frame of the ladder. The chassis was much the same as the previous season but the wheelbase was made slightly longer to allow the driver to recline more and thus keep the proposed bodyline lower. Once again, the Ransomes centrifugal clutch was used but modified to suit the different rev band.