1987 Ford Mustang - 80mpg and 400hp (auto, SUV, fuel, truck)

[silverwing]

Entrepreneurs like this make me think that the wholesale solution to our energy problems won't come from hugely-funded labs or big corps, but just people who like to tinker.

toledoblade.com -- Napoleon man's low-profile auto aims for $10 million mileage prize

[SifuPhil]

I agree that real innovation will come from the Thomas Edisons of the world, but in this case there's one thing I don't understand -

400 HP?!? A "real-world use"? How many people really NEED 400HP on tap for real-world applications? Wouldn't it be better to sacrifice some of that power for mileage? I mean, come on - my stock '88 Vette had HALF that and it was more than enough to get around.

I know that if it were ME up for $10 mil, I'd be doing that pretty quickly...

[silverwing]

Originally Posted by SifuPhil

400 HP?!? A "real-world use"? How many people really NEED 400HP on tap for real-world applications? Wouldn't it be better to sacrifice some of that power for mileage? I mean, come on - my stock '88 Vette had HALF that and it was more than enough to get around.

I know that if it were ME up for $10 mil, I'd be doing that pretty quickly...

Well, he wants to save the SUV and truck market. That was one of the things he pointed out in a tv interview. It's more than just the commuter market being affected by the current gas pains. People are finding out that they can get by w/o their SUVs and Big Azz pickups for daily life, but the current situation is also damaging the recreational market. If people don't haul their boats to the lake or their travel trailers to Yellowstone; if the boomers/retirees aren't buying RVs and traveling; then towns that depend on those dollars suffer. The RV industry has been hit hard because of this; Winnebago has seen its sales fall 73%. And the smaller service sector - contractors and service people who need trucks and vans to perform improvement and repair to home and business - they hurt as well.

I'm of two minds: if performance of gas engines could be improved, you can bet it would be the death knell of the alternative fuel market. People would go back to commuting in Explorers and Dodge Rams. But there hasn't been a lot of talk about hp and torque in the alternative market, just cheaper mpg. And for some applications, those things are necessary.