jet engine in a hummer?

Read a very cool article today that's been waiting for me to get to it for almost a year. Motorhead Messiah, in Fast Company.

The byline:

Johnathan Goodwin can get 100 mpg out of a Lincoln Continental, cut emissions by 80%, and double the horsepower. Does the car business have the guts to follow him?

*snort* No.

Guys like this show us what's really possible, and it's so much more than we're reassured as the Big 3 (I've noticed a few instances of them being called the 'Detroit 3' lately - is that due to loss of market share, or have I just missed that nickname in the past?) plod toward yesterday's ideas.

Seriously, biodiesel Hummers with twice the horsepower and half the emissions? I'd have to stop giving them all snarky smirks.

UPDATE: A friend from work forwarded this article to a GM engineer friend of his. Here's the engineer's dazzlingly insightful reply:

There is alot of people (sic) these days claiming to be genius (sic) and create a vehicle that gets 100MPG. Give our engineers one minute and they will tell you several vehicle (sic) that can do this but we did it back in the 50's (sic, but debatable). Its (sic) when you start applying all the safety features, creature comforts... government standards.... (a sic on all his ellipses, and 'damn guvm'nt!') export requirements.... corporate legal requirements.. oh and you better have a staff of lawyers.. we have several hundred on staff and half again that (sic) on retainer and they are all top of the line lawyers... this all changes the game and if you have a couple BILLION to spare we can build you anything you wish that will work in any corner of the earth under any condition (sic) and come with a 100,000 mile 10 year warranty or if you can go to a LOCAL dealer and chose one of several we have already done for you some for under $12,000 in any color or option configuration you can imagine. If you can only see what goes into these cars or if the average Joe who is knocking the big 3 could see what we do... they would have a whole new outlook and start buying American cars... there is an advantage out there for the offshore companies but the day of that advantage is soon gonna end then we will see who really has it together.

...riiiight.

This man was last seen in the middle of the Detroit River on a sinking boat, claiming it was all the water's fault and that really the boat was fine anyway and we should all just shut the hell up and buy boats just like his.

I guess I'm the average Joe of whom he is speaking, though I remain unconvinced by his biting argument. The most obvious and telling point that he neglected to comment on was that much of the article refers to Hummers, which GM still (for now) owns, and which presumably are still safe, unless Mr. Goodwin is in the habit of cutting out the seatbelts to make room for his supplemental hydrogen tanks. Whatever. Look, though I say a lot of bad things about those big, stupid dinosaurs, I really do hope they evolve into leaner, sabre-toothed versions of their former selves. It would be good for the car industry, Detroit, and the country. If the above retort is any indicator of the general attitude in their hollowed (not sic) halls, though, I have serious doubts about whether they will. Seriously, click away from this paltry blog and read that Motorhead Messiah article - it's fun and inspiring.

UPDATE: Neil Young test 'drove' his Lincoln - check it out.