Our Unic 295 mini crane found itself giving a lift to an unusual passenger in Valencia this month when it was hired to lift a Lola Formula 3 Racing Car — the world’s first racing car to be made by renewable materials.

The lightweight URW-295 mini crane, which comes with a 2.9t capacity, was hired to move the racing car into the lobby of the Sercotel Sorolla Palace in Valencia as part of a special conference on the use of plastics within the automotive industry.

The Lola WorldFirst Formula 3 racing car, designed by Warwick University has bodywork made from potatoes, a steering wheel derived from carrot and root vegetable bi-products (we’re not making this up!), a flax fibre and soybean racing seat and a bio-diesel engine configured to run on fuel derived from waste chocolate.

The one-of-a-kind racing car was carefully lifted into the lobby with the spider crane, which has flexible outrigger positions to work on uneven surfaces and is light enough not to cause any damage to the hotel’s lawn.

Read more about the Lola WorldFirst Formula 3 car at http://www.lolacars.com/newsstory.asp?NewsId=53