By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
The Patty Wagon competes in Red Bull Soapbox 2019 in Dallas, Texas
© Chris Tedesco / Red Bull Content Pool
The roots of soapbox racing can be traced back to 1933 when kids in Dayton, Ohio, began racing homemade cars down hills. Using nothing more than wooden crates, wheels, and soapboxes — which gave the sport its name — those early race car designs powered down neighborhood streets and attracted massive crowds of local spectators.
The All-American Soapbox Derby, established in 1934, became the cornerstone competition of this budding phenomenon. Since its establishment, the All-American Soapbox Derby has been the site of some memorable record-breaking wins. In the 1940s, racer Tommy Fisher set a speed record of 26.3 seconds on a 953.9-foot track.
Soapboxes stored waiting for the big Red Bull Soapbox 2011 in Sweden
© Marcel Lämmerhirt / Red Bull Content Pool
Girls were finally allowed to compete in 1971 and in 1975, 11-year-old Karren Stead became the first girl to take home the championship title. History was made again in 1994 when Danielle Del Ferraro became the first two-time Soapbox Derby winner in history.
The 1971 change paved the way for women to compete in soapbox competitions that are specifically designed for those 18 and older. Decades later, in 2014, 21-year-old Anne Taylor followed in the footsteps of trailblazers like Stead and Del Ferraro, setting an impressive record of 26.613 seconds on today’s standard-length 989.4-foot track.
Soapbox car competitions today still adhere to the same fundamental rules of gravity-powered vehicles with no engines. But the designs have evolved dramatically, from basic wooden carts to aerodynamic masterpieces. The Red Bull Soapbox Race, launched in 2011, introduced a new level of fun and creativity, where outrageous designs take the spotlight as much as speed.
02
What makes a great soapbox car?
The greatest soapbox cars aren’t just fast — they’re marvels of gravity-powered engineering.
The keys to a high-performing soapbox car have evolved over time as the sport has matured, but several key elements define the best soapbox cars.
-
Design: From classic soapbox cars to futuristic builds, a vehicle’s structural development is critical to prevent any design fails. The best soapbox cars incorporate sleek, aerodynamic shapes that reduce drag and increase speed.
-
Innovation: Soapbox car innovations have pushed the sport forward, from the introduction of lightweight materials like plywood to breakthroughs in steering mechanisms, like go-kart steering columns.
-
Speed: Speed is the name of the game when building a winning soapbox racer car. The fastest soapbox car designs are carefully crafted to minimize air resistance and maximize gravity’s pull.
-
Creativity: A creative, well-executed design often steals the show at competitions. From pirate ships to drivers playing the drums, soapbox racing is as much about flair as it is function.
-
Performance: Ultimately, the best-performing cars dominate the competition. The winners — the ones that combine design, speed, and durability — become legends and earn the honor of saying they built an all-time favorite soapbox car.
03
The evolution of soapbox car technology
Over the years, soapbox cars have evolved quite a bit. Early cars were simple, made from scrap materials like wood. In 1981, the first fiberglass shell made its debut on the Junior Championship soapbox track.
Today, soapbox racers use more advanced materials like carbon fiber and even 3D-printed components to optimize speed and durability. However, many racers still stick with at least some basic materials, such as plywood, fiberglass, and aluminum.
Advanced tools, including computer-aided design (CAD) software, allow builders to plan and test their designs virtually before they ever hit the track. If something doesn’t work out build-wise, racers can modify it without reconstructing the entire physical car.
With more understanding of aerodynamics and how it affects soapbox car performance, racers now design vehicles with optimized airflow in mind, reducing drag to enhance velocity. Speed record soapbox cars can also now rely on engineering expertise, with many teams employing wind tunnel tests to perfect aerodynamics. While the core principle remains — gravity as the sole engine — these technological advancements have redefined what’s possible in soapbox racing.
04
Top 10 best soapbox cars of all time
9 min
2014’s top car designs
A fast racer is only part of the magic formula: it’s also got to look good and these were 2014’s best designs.
Here’s a look at some of the most famous, fastest and historic soapbox cars:
-
Akron Soapbox Car (1961): Racer Robert Pusateri built this early iconic vehicle for the Akron Soapbox Derby finals. The blue car was made with heavier materials like oak and had The Hartford Times — the car’s sponsor — emblazoned on the side. Those who want to see a piece of soapbox racing history can see Pusateri’s masterpiece at the Smithsonian Institution.
-
“Big” Jim Gronen (1973): This car is infamous in soapbox history due to the scandal surrounding its 1973 victory. Jimmy Gronen’s car won the championship with a hidden electromagnet, which provided an unfair advantage by giving his car a speed boost at the start.
-
The Double D (1994): Built by Del Ferraro, the Double D helped her become the first-ever two-time winner in derby history. With the help of her cabinet-maker father, Del Ferraro constructed the winning car out of wooden strips and then covered the vehicle with fiberglass.
-
Les Ladies Marmalade (2014): This all-female team from the 2014 Red Bull Soapbox Race made a memorable impression with their flashy car designed to resemble the Moulin Rouge windmill. The judges were so impressed that they decided to go beyond awarding Les Ladies Marmalade perfect scores across the board. Instead, the judges raised as many point cards as they could hold, which appeared to add up to 351,543,544. (In the end the team was officially awarded 20 points, though, as it was the highest score any racer is allowed to receive.)
-
Merglevreters (2015): Although commentators at the 2015 Red Bull Soapbox Race initially called the Merglevreters car “strange,” it received a nearly perfect creativity score. This drill-shaped soapbox almost flipped straight over from an obstacle but recovered in time to finish the race.
-
El Coyote (2016): This playfully designed, high-performance soapbox car featured in the 2016 Red Bull Soapbox Race, was inspired by the iconic cartoon character Wile E. Coyote. With the driver dressed in costume as the car’s namesake inspiration, the ACME red rocket earned a near-perfect creativity score as well.
-
Team Jetsons (2017): Inspired by the classic futuristic cartoon series of the same name, the aerodynamically designed flying saucer earned one of the top creative scores in the 2017 Red Bull Soapbox Race.
-
Slo-Mo Shun (2018): This car, which made its first racing debut in 1948, was revived for the 2018 Red Bull Soapbox Race. The third-generation soapbox car may not have been the fastest in the race. But after 70 years off the track, Slo-Mo Shun still managed to cross the finish line in less than a minute.
-
Belly of the Whale (2019): One of the more artistically striking entries from the 2019 Red Bull Soapbox Race, this car was inspired by Mr. Bean’s Mini Cooper — chair and teddy bear on top and all. It was designed so well that it even fooled the judge into thinking a passenger was sitting on top of the car. Despite its semi-bulky appearance, the car was surprisingly swift, thanks to a well-balanced and aerodynamic build.
-
The bathtub soapbox 2022: The bathtub soapbox turned heads with its quirky and whimsical design — a literal bathtub on wheels. The car combined humor with smart engineering at the Johannesburg, South Africa race, even equipped with a loofah and shampoo bottles. With the vehicle’s handlebar steering, the bathtub soapbox took the course’s turns and obstacles like a pro.
12 min
2019’s top car designs
A genius reversing caravan, a bang-on tribute to Mr Bean and one very wobbly piñata took home 2019’s gold stars for soapbox design.
05
Iconic soapbox car designs
Despite the wooden soapbox’s rudimentary construction, these designs laid the foundation for generations of racers. In fact, they’re still being used today.
-
The Reversing Caravan soapbox: At first glance, this soapbox car design might just seem like a simple vehicle made out of wood and steel frames — until you see it in motion. The Reversing Caravan does exactly what its name implies. The caravan appeared to travel backward on the track, making spectators’ jaws drop on the way down.
-
Living Arcadia: This design at the Red Bull Soapbox Race San Marino, an homage to classic video games, left quite an impression on fans at the 2022 race. The car was steered by a console joystick with the passenger facing backward, “playing” the driver dressed up as Mario.
-
The Breakfast Club: This soapbox featured three jaw-dropping design reveals: A-Team wagon, the General Lee, and the DeLorean. The triple-threat soapbox instantly became a crowd favorite at the 2015 Red Bull Soapbox Race London. Each design was unveiled at different points of the race, with the A-Team shell first flying off to reveal each design.
1 min
THE BREAKFAST CLUB
THE BREAKFAST CLUB
Modern aerodynamic models
As the sport evolved, these cars began to reflect the importance of aerodynamics. These designs are notable for using modern technology to showcase imaginative soapbox visions.
-
The Supercar Blondie: This low, close-to-the-ground chrome wrap design made Supercar Blondie’s model an iconic soapbox car in London in 2022. This futuristic alien car was made with double wishbone suspension, and it only took one month to build. It finished the race in just 39 seconds.
-
La Padella: This eggy soapbox became a fan favorite from the 2014 Red Bull Soapbox Race in Turin, Italy. The engineless frying pan zoomed through the track in less than a minute to claim an iconic design.
-
Scuderia Nuggs: Who doesn’t love to have some nuggets for lunch? This wooden soapbox with metal framing was transformed into a 20-piece nugget to-go box for the 2024 Red Bull Soapbox Race in London. The winning team, dressed up as nuggets, made it to the end in the second steepest Red Bull Soapbox Race.
Participants at Red Bull Soapbox 2024 in London, UK
© Leo Francis / Red Bull Content Pool
Themes and artistic designs
Events like the Red Bull Soapbox Race embrace all things creative. It’s such a big deal that teams are scored on creativity in addition to performance.
-
Steampunk mechanical bull: This steampunk bull took hundreds of hours to make — and less than a minute to crash. The car’s design featured movable legs and steam that shot out of the bull’s head.
-
Drum Team: This incredible work of soapbox art doubled as a drum platform. The driver was situated inside a fake bass drum and the passenger attempted to play the drums throughout the whole race. Unfortunately, he was forced to stop jamming toward the end so he could hold on and avoid flying off. The drum team managed to avoid crashing and received a time of 37.03.
-
Bad Ten: This soapbox car was adorned almost entirely with balloons at the Tokyo, Japan Red Bull Soapbox Race in 2019. Marked as one of the most spectacular soapbox finishes by Red Bull, the Bad Ten white-knuckled its way through a gripping run, staying upright all the way to the finish line, where it finally rolled off into the bushes.
06
How to build a soapbox car inspired by the best
Want to build a soapbox car that draws inspiration from the greats? Here’s a quick guide to get started.
-
Materials: Start with lightweight materials such as plywood for the body and steel or aluminum for the frame. If possible, consider using fiberglass or carbon fiber for added speed and durability.
-
Tools: Depending on the materials used, most drivers will need a saw, power drill, sander, wrench, pencil, screwdriver, glue, and clamps to build their car.
-
Theme: Most soapbox cars have a theme and creative design. When looking up possible soapbox car blueprints, incorporate that theme element. A great way to learn about design is from the ultimate soapbox-building guide from the Formula 1 pros.
-
Build: A basic soapbox car blueprint allows for easy modifications. Prioritize an aerodynamic shape to reduce drag and figure out where the driver will sit. Sand down the plywood and start assembling the body to create the desired design.
-
Wheels and axles: After the body is assembled, it’s time to add the wheels. Use high-quality wheels for speed and a smooth race. Ensure that the axles are durable and positioned to keep the car balanced. Take it from Red Bull drivers behind some of soapbox’s funniest crashes. Most of them built in strong wheels and axles, but crashed from poor steering. The heavier the car, the faster it’ll go, but the extra speed will make steering more difficult.
-
Steering and braking mechanisms: Don’t end up like the soapbox drivers who crashed because of steering or poor brakes. Use a simple yet effective steering kit or a go-kart steering column, and add a brake pad to ensure the car can stop.
-
Finishing touches: Add some flair. A custom paint job and creative decals are two excellent ways to do so.
There’s a shortcut to designing and building your own car from the ground up. Derby car kits simplify the construction process. However, anyone who wants to get this kit needs to buy it from the official Soapbox Derby store.
The legacy of soapbox cars
Soapbox cars have come a long way from their humble beginnings. Whether it’s DIY soapbox car builds inspired by a childhood dream or a record-breaking design, soapbox racing continues to push the limits. Drivers race in the hope of becoming one of the greatest soapbox heroes on the track. The thrill of the race, the drivers’ passion, and the artistry of the builds make soapbox cars a fun symbol of speed and ingenuity.
Share this content: