In 1989 twenty-five students from UT’s College of Engineering modified a 1988 Corsica LT to operate on methanol. The group formed a participating team in the Department of Energy’s Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition for Colleges and Universities managed by Argonne National Laboratory. In the Methanol Marathon, General Motors provided cars to 15 finalist universities (of the 40 that submitted original proposals). The cars were then driven in a 1,100-mile road rally through the United States and Canada. UT’s conversion design of its gray Corsica and its 19.9 miles a gallon (equivalent to 36.7 miles a gallon of gasoline) won the contest. It was the first entry into alternative fuel design by student teams under Jeffrey Hodgson, UT engineering professor. UT students also won championships in 1990–91 and 1994–95.