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By 1985, petitioner had completed about 80 to 90 percent of
the J car; only some body work remained to be done. A diesel
engine had been installed, and the mechanical and running gear
was installed and operative. The J car weighed 1,275 pounds and
had a fiberglass body, a Kubota diesel engine, 3-in-line
cylinders, a four-speed overdrive transmission, front disk brakes
and rear drum brakes, and Michelin radial tires. The rear end
came out of an old MG. Petitioner estimated that the car would
go 70 miles per hour at top speed, but it would have poor
acceleration characteristics. Petitioner tested the J car using
a meter gauge to determine its mileage per gallon, which
petitioner estimated to be 116.7 miles per gallon of diesel fuel.
By 1985, 99 percent of the cost of building the J car had been
incurred.
Petitioner testified that he paid for the expenses related
to the development of the J car by using 20 to 30 credit cards to
reimburse the auto shop and by borrowing money from several
sources. None of these expenses has been substantiated. In
1985, when the City of Roanoke experienced a flood, petitioner
lost his records related to the expenses for building the J car.
Petitioner has not made an attempt to reconstruct those records.
Petitioner did have the stubs to the auto shop's checkbook for
some portions of the period of May 29, 1981 through October 25,
1985.
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