Volume 32, Issue 10 .February 10, 1995
South wordS Introducing y The Chrysler m Nimbus.
Maine South H.S. Park Ridge, IL
The Nimbus DimenRions length: 15.1 feet heigth: 5.2 feet width: 6.4 feet
Weight 1,800 - 2,200 lbs
Chassis Extruded aluminum alloy, mainly from recycled materials Body P a n e l s Polymer composite
Euel Conventional lead-acid batteries or electromechanical flywheel batteries optional by Laura Ban A team of eight Maine South students won $5000 for the school by designing a car that was named a finalist in a Chrysler Corporation program. The purpose of the "Build Your Own Dream FYogram," as Chrysler states, is to provide students with an opportunity to "woric as part of a team, explore an interesting part of the world of work, combine academic knowledge and vocational skills, [and] design an environmentally safe futuristic vehicle." Freshmen Melissa Gay and Katie Klobutcher, sophomores Matt Polley and Paul Salamondra, juniors Jeff Cabay and team leader Turn Tunthatakas, and seniors Paul Therens and Michio Murakishi proved their abiUty in all of these points in creating their dream vehicle. Named for a cloud surrounding a god, person, or thing, the Nimbus boasts features such as "Back To the Future Dolorian-type" doors and optional operation by electrome^ K i i c a l flywheel batteries. Team members ^Ssidered not only looks when they designed a 3-D clay model of their car but also information obtained from surveys revealing their target market's preferences on safety features and environmental and ergonomic-related factors.
"In the end, teamwork and research were the most important aspects of the project because we had to get everything accomplished in three weeks and also meet the demands of our survey participants," Tunthatakas said. The marketing team surveyed 151 people, mostly adults, and tried to design their car around the requests of those surveyed. Their work paid off, as the Nimbus was declared one of the four finalist cars out of the more than 50 entries, qualifying South for the cash prize as well as personal prizes for team members. All eight students are or were enrolled in Computer Aided Drafting (CAD), a onesemester elective course taught by Mr. William Thieme. Thieme, who sponsored the project, said, "It's nice that students from all four grade levels were able to collaborate and produce a product of such high standards." For their participation in the semi-final round of the Program, team members gave a 30 minute presentation to a panel of judges at the O'Hare Radison Hotel on Jan. 31. Of the nine schools and 13 cars presented, four were chosen as finalists, including Maine South's Nimbus. Team members gave an additional presentation on the Feb. 9 and their design and accompanying work will be displayed at the upcoming Chicago Auto Show. Artwork by Turn Tunthatakas
Fng1ne/Drive Direct drive motors, all wheel drive Max. Range Lead acid batteries: 100 miles Flywheel batteries: 600 miles Target Market 2 1 - 3 0 year old, college graduate T a r g e t S a l e s [.oc. Domestic, European Media P l a n Television adventising and on-line computer services Total Price $15,000 - $19,800 Note: All electronically powered vehicles sold in the U.S. are eligible for a 10% federal income tax credit up to $4,000. The total price given is inclusive of this credit.