Simi Team ‘Takes Risks,’ Gets 2nd in Dream Car Contest
The seven students from Simi Valley High School calmly eyed the auto company executive before them Wednesday, waiting for his verdict.
They had already reached the finals of a student contest to design futuristic cars, beating 32 teams from other Los Angeles-area schools.
In the morning, they had presented the designs for their utility sports vehicle to a panel of automotive engineers and marketers, and they were ready to hear how they ranked.
With the other two remaining teams on hand, A. C. “Bud” Liebler, vice president of marketing and communications with Chrysler Corp., announced third place.
Hoover High School of Glendale. The Simi students clapped, smiled and waited.
Second place. Simi Valley High.
“Second place in the state--I mean, I’m fired up,” said team advisor Bruce Kanegai, an art teacher at the school.
“I’ll tell you the truth; I would have liked first,” senior Ray Rini said after first place went to a team from Los Altos High School in Hacienda Heights. “But second is good. . . . It’s good bragging rights.”
Chrysler established the “Build Your Dream Vehicle” competition last year to encourage high school students interested in automotive design. After an initial contest in Chicago, the program has expanded to Los Angeles and Miami, with separate competitions in each city.
To win, students must dream up both a new car and a plan for selling it--virtually everything short of actually building a car. Each team must craft its own drawings, marketing plan and financial statement showing the car’s projected selling price and profit.
Kanegai learned of the contest just before the start of the school year and soon began assembling his team.
Seniors Melanie Shinsel and Dave Marshall handled marketing. Sophomore Vince Chu and senior Katherine Narbonne took finance. Sophomore Austin Kim worked on the vehicle’s environmental and safety features. And Ray and junior Heather Heidel worked on the exterior and interior design.
The group hashed out ideas at lunchtime meetings or after school, Kanegai said. “We were drawing on pizza boxes and arguing late into the night.”
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The dream vehicle they proposed, dubbed the “KII” and priced at $45,000, is geared toward baby boomers with kids. A titanium crash cage surrounds and protects the engine. The gas tank sits near the center of the vehicle, safe from minor traffic accidents. An optional cellular phone system automatically dials 911 in case of a serious collision.
Those creative features impressed the judges. “These guys really stretched the envelope,” Liebler said. “They took some risks.”
Their reward--compact disc players for each student, a trophy and $2,000 for the school’s art department.
But some of the students hoped to make future use of the experience. Ray--who said his life revolves around cars--wants to land an auto design internship. “This is something I can show them I’ve done,” he said.
