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Feb 08 '08 by Threadless

324 Comments

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Threadlemanss - Start Your Engines! Update: More Details

Deadline extended to may 16th! Details below

Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! … (Actually, it's going to be Friday and Saturday, May 16-17 2008, but you get the picture.) Get ready to rev up those creative engines and heed the need for speed because your shakin' bakin' pals at Threadless have announced the THREADLEMANSS 48 Heures Derby! Woohoo! 2 days worth of the most thrilling, electrifying, and nail-bitingly chaotic action to ever take place on a 40 foot thin strip of pliable wood.

Here are the details!

Trophies will be given to the top 4 finishers in the event, and a trophy will also be given to the "Best in Show", as selected by a panel of judges from Threadless.com. Additionally, gift certificates to Threadless.com will be given to the winners of the above mentioned categories: First Place will receive a $100 gift certificate, Second receives a $75 gift certificate, Third receives a $50 gift certificate, Fourth receives a $25 gift certificate, and the Best in Show will receive a $50 gift certificate.

UPDATE: Apparently we weren't very clear about what exactly this is. The event is modeled after the similar Cub Scout event, the Pinewood Derby. Participants obtain a car kit which looks like the picture below. Any kits such as the ones found here will work just fine!

Then, each participant modifies the kit by sawing, carving, painting, etc to look and perform as best as it can. Here are some examples on Flickr. The cars are then raced on a track like the picture below. We have an official track at the skinnyCorp office.

For the Threadlemanss we are allowing people from all around the world to enter the race without being present for the event by shipping the car to skinnyCorp. You may enter as many cars as you wish. If your car passes inspection it will be raced and considered for the "Best in Show" award. If the car does not pass inspection it will not be raced but will still be considered for "Best in Show." More details on how to enter and such can be found here.

MAY THE BEST CAR WIN!

Updated info:

Mikko Terva on Feb 08 '08 at 3:42pm

nice!

Maltzmania on Feb 08 '08 at 3:46pm

it never ceases to amaze me how creative you guys are

oh man who drew that Pinewood Car on the poster? he must be pretty talented or something.

zipperking on Feb 08 '08 at 3:47pm

are we allowed to submit one for Best in Show as well as one for Speed?? I'm all over this.

sonmi on Feb 08 '08 at 3:47pm

zweet

Phiffer on Feb 08 '08 at 3:48pm

OH SNAP

zipperking on Feb 08 '08 at 3:48pm

prepare to feel the wrath of the......RED HORNET!

t4sh4 on Feb 08 '08 at 3:49pm

zomg this is actually really exciting for me!

Phiffer on Feb 08 '08 at 3:51pm

I want one of those posters. I wonder if they will be avalible somehow or somewhere

kissmeimshitfaced on Feb 08 '08 at 3:52pm

I'm very confused.

Demented on Feb 08 '08 at 3:53pm

This is genius.

Is this for real? xD

SoldierofGondor on Feb 08 '08 at 3:54pm

What kind of axles should they be, the wooden thick kind or thin metal kind?

valorandvellum on Feb 08 '08 at 3:58pm

Woooooo!! So exciting!

skaw on Feb 08 '08 at 4:00pm

There is no limit to the number of cars one may submit and if your car does not pass inspection it is still eligible for best in show.

tracerbullet on Feb 08 '08 at 4:00pm

i'm...confused? are there car kits you can buy for this sort of thing? how are they raced? is the track all down hill or something?

other than that, awesome!

ObnoxiousMute on Feb 08 '08 at 4:02pm

Once a car is submitted, it will become the property of skinnyCorp, LLC.

i can picture festa sitting on the floor making "vroom vroom" sounds playing with all the cars.

ObnoxiousMute on Feb 08 '08 at 4:02pm

tracerbullet on Feb 08 '08 at 4:00pm
i'm...confused? are there car kits you can buy for this sort of thing?

go to your local hobby store.

t4sh4 on Feb 08 '08 at 4:03pm

oooooh man tracer missed out on being a scout in his youth

valorandvellum on Feb 08 '08 at 4:04pm

I'm going to google how to make one of these. And how to whittle. And if I need to chew on a piece of hay while I whittle to make me whittle better.

chelly on Feb 08 '08 at 4:04pm

neat!

zipperking on Feb 08 '08 at 4:07pm

for those of you who have no idea what this is....

tracerbullet on Feb 08 '08 at 4:07pm

t4sh4 on Feb 08 '08 at 4:03pm
oooooh man tracer missed out on being a scout in his youth

I WAS PLAYING WITH NINJA TURTLE ACTION FIGURES, THANK YOU VERY MUCH

zipperking on Feb 08 '08 at 4:08pm

I fail at html, let's try again...

Chipmnk on Feb 08 '08 at 4:10pm

Hahaha, this is the best contest idea ever!

Dang, this brings me back to my Boy Scout days. I think I won second place or something once, though my car looked pretty horrid.

lemonalle on Feb 08 '08 at 4:13pm

ahahaha, awesome

skaw on Feb 08 '08 at 4:14pm

i've got a sweet scar on my pinkie from carving my pinewood derby in cub scouts - i practically sliced the whole top of it off and had to get a bunch of stitches!

zipperking on Feb 08 '08 at 4:16pm

^did you get the corner of your toten chip card cut off for that one?? :)

Torakamikaze on Feb 08 '08 at 4:19pm

is this about sandwiches?

Maltzmania on Feb 08 '08 at 4:20pm

I'm making Klut the Hot Dog Racer come to life bitches

J-Ray on Feb 08 '08 at 4:21pm

Buying a car kit, putting it together and shipping it to you could be lot of money. Any chance of upping that $100 first place prize?

BaronVonMonkey on Feb 08 '08 at 4:22pm

This sounds awesome- not sure I'd trust shipping the car from the UK though...

marblecargirl on Feb 08 '08 at 4:22pm

YES!

speedyjvw on Feb 08 '08 at 4:25pm

you can find kits online for under $3, i dont think shipping would be too bad either

t4sh4 on Feb 08 '08 at 4:26pm

^yeah, shipping wont be bad considering the weight of the cars

Torakamikaze on Feb 08 '08 at 4:27pm

I tried buying a kit online, but the owner wasnt willing to bargain

kennybanzai on Feb 08 '08 at 4:29pm

This sounds awesome! Can we put lead in them? or other fun things like a punching arm to knock out the others.

J-Ray on Feb 08 '08 at 4:30pm

or a jet engine?

Demented on Feb 08 '08 at 4:37pm

Anyone wanna share secret tactics to build teh ultimate shoop da whoop car? xD

Could anyone point me out what kind of building kits this is about, cause I don't recall ever playing with this stuff.

kennybanzai on Feb 08 '08 at 4:40pm

oh ...just saw the details... doiky...

zipperking on Feb 08 '08 at 4:41pm

Here's my one tip for you Demented....it's all about the axels. good luck!

abeadle on Feb 08 '08 at 4:45pm

this is the cutest idea ever

Demented on Feb 08 '08 at 4:48pm

Haha wow after googling a bit, this seems to be pretty big in the whole scout area. I never knew.

Atomic K on Feb 08 '08 at 4:49pm

Oh Yeah! Make way for wheeled wood history.

J-Ray on Feb 08 '08 at 4:50pm

I'd rather the first prize be to win all the cars :)

ofthecoast on Feb 08 '08 at 4:55pm

ohhh this looks fun!

angelito on Feb 08 '08 at 4:55pm

Awesome :)

phones on Feb 08 '08 at 5:08pm

ACE!

d3d on Feb 08 '08 at 5:18pm

what a fun idea. i might try one.

d3d on Feb 08 '08 at 5:27pm

is two inches the total width including the wheels or just the body? and what the hell is six ounces?

BrandonB11 on Feb 08 '08 at 5:32pm

i came in 2nd back in boyscouts wiht my sweet lopsided car, only until about 3 years back i found out the guy that beat me had a store built car, i was so unbelievably pissed!!

maybe i shoudl try doing this agian except with actual good skills

jess4002 on Feb 08 '08 at 5:39pm

neat!

fatheed on Feb 08 '08 at 5:41pm

What's the postal address for international entrants?

fatheed on Feb 08 '08 at 5:41pm

I just found it.

Puma7 on Feb 08 '08 at 5:47pm

sammich car?

d3d on Feb 08 '08 at 5:50pm

kits on ebay are surprisingly expensive. i'd love to just make one myself from things i can get at the hardware store but there's so many regulations i'm sure i'd be disqualified straight away. i might just try for best in show.

also, i didn't see any rule eliminating bottlerockets. just saying.

iDanSimpson on Feb 08 '08 at 5:51pm

haha! this is so cool. i'm there.

radiostaticstar on Feb 08 '08 at 6:45pm

ahh man what a cool idea!
i bet i've still got mine from back in the day somewheres...

Maltzmania on Feb 08 '08 at 7:45pm

Once a car is submitted, it will become the property of skinnyCorp, LLC.

hhaha i love it

ISABOA on Feb 08 '08 at 7:50pm

oh yeah!

telaine on Feb 08 '08 at 7:52pm

more than one person can work on it, right? as long as it's submitted under an active user's profile? I'm thinking my husband might know something from his boy scout past :)

SoldierofGondor on Feb 08 '08 at 7:53pm

No one answered me ='(.

Monkey III on Feb 08 '08 at 7:54pm

you lost me on this one...
I have been drinkin' and I feel stupid now.

Maltzmania on Feb 08 '08 at 7:55pm

All cars must pass inspection to qualify for the race. The inspection points are as follows:
The car must have been made during the current year.
The width of the car shall not exceed 2 inches.
The length of the car shall not exceed 7 inches.
The weight of the car shall not exceed 6 ounces.
Axles, wheels, and body wood shall be as provided in the kit.
Wheel bearings, washers, and bushings are prohibited.
The car shall not ride on any kind or type of springs.
Any details added must be within length, width, and weight limits.
The car must be freewheeling, with no starting devices

Reading is power!

SoldierofGondor on Feb 08 '08 at 7:57pm

It still doesn't specify about what type of axels though.. It says kit like everyone is going to go buy the same kit.

ISABOA on Feb 08 '08 at 7:57pm

I won my cubscout tournament by loading by car with hidden weighted bars - to bad threadless is using scales

ISABOA on Feb 08 '08 at 7:58pm

SoldierofGondor on Feb 08 '08 at 7:57pm
It still doesn't specify about what type of axels though.. It says kit like everyone is going to go buy the same kit.

the kits are standardized - they are all the same

Maltzmania on Feb 08 '08 at 7:59pm

Reading is power!

the czar on Feb 08 '08 at 8:03pm

Awesome

ISABOA on Feb 08 '08 at 8:03pm

d3d on Feb 08 '08 at 5:27pm
and what the hell is six ounces?

a killer weekend

Maltzmania on Feb 08 '08 at 8:05pm

hahhaa

SheepMan22 on Feb 08 '08 at 8:07pm

this is awesome i remeber doing this in shop class in high school...i had a killer car i won first place and i beat the record time which still stands over 5 years later...unless it was beat just this year....oh and are you sure i cant dig up my old car and use it?

SheepMan22 on Feb 08 '08 at 8:08pm

d3d on Feb 08 '08 at 5:27pm
and what the hell is six ounces?

more like what i have in my backpack right now

SoldierofGondor on Feb 08 '08 at 8:10pm

This is what I'm talking about:

"Some have four nails which are used as axles. These are driven into four pre-positioned holes in the side of the body. Other kits will have two axles which are designed to fit into the two slots which are cut into the bottom of the car."

http://www.thc-toys-hobbies-crafts.com/pinewoodderby/pinewoodderbyindex.html

d3d on Feb 08 '08 at 10:31pm

i just bought a kit. hope it doesn't suck.

jenraskopf on Feb 08 '08 at 10:34pm

EEEEEEK!!!

littlem on Feb 08 '08 at 10:34pm

this is the cutest idea!

Robsoul on Feb 08 '08 at 11:36pm

so cute!

cute my ass, that's fugging awesome! have fun guys & gals, wish I could participate.

d3d on Feb 08 '08 at 11:42pm

what's stopping you?

Robsoul on Feb 08 '08 at 11:50pm

I live in Southern california, it's not really a hop skip & a jump to Chicago, it's more like a 3 day drive or 6 hr plane ride (those are just estimates off the top of my head, I'm not really sure)

Robsoul on Feb 08 '08 at 11:51pm

oh my gosh, ah, you ship your car..... hmmm, I'd want to be there top race it, that's the best part

Robsoul on Feb 08 '08 at 11:53pm

I mean really, the smoke, the grease, the fans, the bikinis, be in the action, not 1000 miles away from the action

d3d on Feb 09 '08 at 12:39am

i'm happy to just mail mine, as great as it would be to see shimala dressed as a grid girl.

i have so many questions about specifications. like is there a minimum or maximum distance apart you can set the wheels?
i just destroyed a hole saw trying to cut a ceramic wheel out of a bathroom tile. fail.

Robsoul on Feb 09 '08 at 12:57am

That's what you need to fine tune and test on your prototypes, model it after F1 race car, low body, large back wheel.... I have no idea, but sounds good.

colorstoobright on Feb 09 '08 at 5:27am

Awesome.

lunchboxbrain on Feb 09 '08 at 8:05am

hells. yes.

SteveOramA on Feb 09 '08 at 8:39am

supreme sweetness!

skaw on Feb 09 '08 at 10:16am

I made an update with some more details on what this is all about

littlem on Feb 09 '08 at 10:44am

Robsoul on Feb 08 '08 at 11:36pm
so cute!
cute my ass.........!

uhhhh...nevermind

bubbleman on Feb 10 '08 at 2:10pm

awesome! i better get to work on mine then.

5napple on Feb 10 '08 at 2:18pm

im so doing this.

juliejeremiah on Feb 10 '08 at 11:22pm

where can I get one of those kits in Canada?

d3d on Feb 11 '08 at 12:07am

oh updates. thanks man. i already bought a kit on ebay but it looks about the same.

d3d on Feb 11 '08 at 12:32am

damn some of those examples are really intimidating. i hope quaint charm is worth something.

MrDomino on Feb 11 '08 at 11:36am

YES! I'm totally in on this. I was just talking about the Pinewood Derby with my girlfriend. How there was always that kid who's dad did everything for him and won in racing. Not this time.

zipperking on Feb 11 '08 at 11:47am

DAMN! i don't have enough money this week to buy my kit, but come friday...IT'S ON! I can't wait to get to work on this. I'm just trying to remember all the tricks I used to use to KICK ASS!

porcella4u on Feb 12 '08 at 5:47am

Canada? don't Canadumnists have some kinda RCMP Derby? Like pine wood cars meets the running of the bulls ? errr whorses I guess.......HA i'm crackin' myself up here :) but seriously though, has anyone seen the Canadian Ballet? LMFAO ok ok cross the ballet with the derby with the running of the whatever , what's a good name for that one?

numby on Feb 12 '08 at 6:41am

Since this isn't the boy scouts of america may we create Gay Pride cars? :)
Like a carved model of...
http://www.threadless.com/product/896/Gay_Pride
Threadless isn't homophobic too is it? :)

jublin on Feb 13 '08 at 11:09pm

i just got my kit in the mail!

i want my car to reenact this scene.

restlessthoughts on Feb 14 '08 at 11:19am

Hmm...I might try this. Looks like fun!!

phones on Feb 14 '08 at 11:24am

i just got a kit from ebay- but it's half an inch too wide :(

speedyjvw on Feb 14 '08 at 11:28am

that gives you room to work with phones

MrDomino on Feb 14 '08 at 11:34am

That gives you space for fenders. I have a secret design that will rock all manner of worlds.

Ellsswhere on Feb 14 '08 at 5:34pm

why is the max width 2 inches... my kit says 2 and 3/4, the wheels are already at 2 and 1/2 wide, is my kit disqualified out of the bag?

Ellsswhere on Feb 14 '08 at 5:36pm

also can i get a measurement on how tall the center divide is?
is a 3 wheeled car allowed as long as the fourth is still on the car jsut not touching the track?

phones on Feb 14 '08 at 5:37pm

yeah i'm gonna sand it down and er.......hope it still works

3 days later

timdowns on Feb 18 '08 at 12:16am

I just built a car based on the boy scouts specs, and realized your width is too narrow to fit the wheels on a normal pinewood derby car. The maximum width allowed is 2 3/4" (that is the width of the block of wood plus the wheels)
lso, Any reason your weight is 6 oz.?
Normally the pinewood cars are 5 oz. Max.
I ask this because I built fenders on my car that do not exceed the width of the wheels mounted on the standard wood block, but the width of my car is the traditional 2 3/4" (like pinewood derby)

CharlesFesta on Feb 18 '08 at 10:25am

Hey tim yeah we switched it to 2 3/4... I did not realize that the spec was measured from wheel to wheel instead of the block. Thank you for pointing that out... Roll Hard

timdowns on Feb 18 '08 at 1:27pm

Sweet! You rock!

the other festa on Feb 19 '08 at 4:02pm

We went with 6 oz. kinda like how Spinal Tap went to "11" - We want this race to be "one" better...

jublin on Feb 19 '08 at 4:58pm

oh man. i have the best idea. time to get serious.

numby on Feb 20 '08 at 12:53am

hmmm, silence.

msabas on Feb 20 '08 at 7:10am

This is definately a great Idea, looks like my 6 yr old and I will be entering.

Woss on Feb 20 '08 at 7:25am

I got my kit, but I'm not handy.

BLOCK MOBILE!

CharlesFesta on Feb 21 '08 at 10:53am

ir0cko on Feb 21 '08 at 10:53am

nice

zipperking on Feb 21 '08 at 10:56am

oh.my.gawd. those are the sweetest trophies ever. you can just send me mine now if you want Charlie cuz no one else stands a chance.

CharlesFesta on Feb 21 '08 at 10:56am

YESSSSSSS!!!

CharlesFesta on Feb 21 '08 at 10:57am

I am freakin excited

zipperking on Feb 21 '08 at 10:58am

my motivation to win just increased 10 fold.

Phiffer on Feb 21 '08 at 10:59am

is the smallest best in show?

CharlesFesta on Feb 21 '08 at 11:00am

yeah

5 days later

numby on Feb 27 '08 at 3:53am

Guess Threadless IS homophobic. :(

Ellsswhere on Feb 27 '08 at 7:06am

^^best comment of 08'

6 days later

spence308 on Mar 04 '08 at 4:51pm

So how will this be done? What is going to happen May 16th and 17th?

numby on Mar 04 '08 at 7:41pm

*bows*

spence308 on Mar 04 '08 at 9:34pm

How tall can it be? Is there a limit?

Ian Leino on Mar 04 '08 at 9:50pm

Ooo, trophies! I've got to get to work designing my supermegaawesomebadass winning car.

funkie fresh on Mar 04 '08 at 10:09pm

i got my kit last week.

IM COMING AFTER YOU HALGAS.

not really? or really?

SIKE!
i've never done this before. i'll compete with olly for best block car.

CharlesFesta on Mar 06 '08 at 12:20pm

UPS, Google, Flickr, and High Times are making cars! Or at least Google, UPS, and Flickr....I will keep ya'll updated on other companies looking to enter the ThreadLe Manss...

bortwein on Mar 06 '08 at 12:24pm

UPS, HA! that's Great! What can Brown do for Threadless?!!

6 days later

trillionaire on Mar 12 '08 at 10:08pm

I have to make a shirt sub for this.

10 days later

mshuck on Mar 23 '08 at 7:29pm

Have you considered a live webcast of the event? It would make the racing more exciting for the contestants that can't be there for the racing excitement.

jublin on Mar 23 '08 at 7:36pm

pssst... you should a few more best in show type of awards. They don't need trophies, but it would be fun to have some more crazy awards given out.

also - i'm on to you funkie!

CharlesFesta on Mar 24 '08 at 9:40am

Yes we are going to webcast this event...When i post the bracket on May 9th there will be a time schedule next to the races so people who will not be in attendance can watch their cars race!

jublin on Mar 24 '08 at 10:33am

you should give a tomato to the person with the slowest car.

CharlesFesta on Mar 24 '08 at 10:50am

how bout a lemon

CharlesFesta on Mar 24 '08 at 10:50am

or a Le mon

ir0cko on Mar 24 '08 at 10:52am

woohoo!

tracerbullet on Mar 24 '08 at 10:57am

i should get started on mine

9 days later

CharlesFesta on Apr 03 '08 at 9:40am

1 month left

tracerbullet on Apr 03 '08 at 9:42am

i should get started on mine

CharlesFesta on Apr 03 '08 at 9:54am

ghee whiz you should get started!

Phiffer on Apr 03 '08 at 9:55am

OH Snap!!

Phiffer on Apr 03 '08 at 9:56am

Who was they guy that was going one about his at the shop. Was it Mike? If so how is his comming

CharlesFesta on Apr 03 '08 at 10:04am

Mike's car is in shambles.....his car will be the worst....However Philip's car is AMAZING

I AM H2 on Apr 03 '08 at 10:07am

My car is being fine tuned by scientists in Siberia at a secret warehouse known only as...

CUSTARD 38

CharlesFesta on Apr 03 '08 at 10:10am

No its not...yer kit is in the kitchen...collecting dust..

sonmi on Apr 03 '08 at 10:11am

my fox car is going to eat phil's rabbit car

CharlesFesta on Apr 03 '08 at 10:12am

no way sonmi you are crazy...that is crazy talk....i like it..

I AM H2 on Apr 03 '08 at 10:12am

a decoy is sitting in the kitchen collecting dust

Torakamikaze on Apr 03 '08 at 10:14am

my car is a hot wheels

CharlesFesta on Apr 03 '08 at 10:17am

Tora!!!! decoy my arse I AM H2

CharlesFesta on Apr 03 '08 at 2:13pm

Hey everyone so i got ten extra car kits ready to be sent out...If you are serious about building a car...write me with your proper mailing address and i will send it out to you... charlief@skinnycorp.com

1 month left keep in mind.....

jublin on Apr 03 '08 at 2:24pm