BMW has taken EfficientDynamics to the extreme with its entry for the LA Design Challenge. This year's LA Auto Show challenge offers designers the unique opportunity to dream up both an original car and a racing series, and the Hydrogen Salt Flat Racer is BMW DesignWorks USA's effort.

The cigar-shaped racer certainly looks aerodynamic, but in a vision that takes EfficientDynamics to its most radical, BMW has sculpted the future racer on the principles of 'reuse', as opposed to 'recycle'. The way BMW sees it, why bother recycling old things when you can cut out the middle man and simply use them again?

As such, old oil barrels and barbeque lids are used for the body and wheels, making this hydrogen-powered racer a truly eco-friendly concept. Bizarrely, the concept comes complete with an aquatic co-pilot too (yes, a fish).

Before animal-lovers get too excited, though, the fish doesn't exactly do any piloting, but is utilised as a 'canary in a coal mine' (BMW's words) to ensure the vehicle's emissions are clean. 'If the fish gets sick, you must be running rich,' as BMW puts it.

A more feasible idea is perhaps the airless gel-nylon wheel technology, which allows worn tyres to be retreaded.

Grid Position: 9/9

Early Retirement or Podium Finish: Retires when the front offside barbeque lid rim comes off and it crashes into a barrier. Resulting flames and remaining wheels are used to cook up the fish co-pilot for the hungry driver.

Mark Nichol - 21 Oct 2008