re: car idea
ANFO powered car
re: car idea
note: rules lawyering about what exactly counts as a "piston engine" is allowed and encouraged. however, the more it resembles a normal car engine the more bonus points you get.
There's a lot of bonus points; you can actually lose the race and still win if your fuel is cursed enough or your engine seems impossible enough. conversely, you can just barely squeak past the Problematicness Requirements with your Crude Oil car, win the race, and still lose to the Random Fragments Of Unexploded WWII Ordnance team that barely makes it across the finish line
re: car idea
ammonium perchlorate powered car. replace the fuel injectors with magazines full of tiny replica space shuttle SRBs