This study presents the design and validation of a modular spring-powered vehicle platform developed for introductory mechanical engineering education. The platform enables systematic exploration of mechanical configurations through morphological analysis and quantitative validation using Taguchi method. Comprising four interchangeable modules including chassis, wheel assemblies, transmission, and power unit, the system allows students to build and test diverse vehicle architectures. A two-phase experimental study was conducted: Phase 1 used a fractional factorial design to identify optimal configurations based on travel distance; Phase 2 applied a full factorial design to enhance robustness against variable payloads. Additionally, a six-week project-based learning syllabus was proposed to integrate conceptual design, experimentation, and data-driven decision-making. The experimental results validate the platform’s effectiveness in bridging theory and practice and demonstrate its potential to foster students’ understanding of design iteration, parameter optimization, and empirical validation.