Posted on 12/07/2009 1:56:45 PM PST by dangerdoc
Step aside, Tesla -- we've just spotted the hottest Earth-lovin' supercar since the Lightning GT. Shown off to wide-mouthed onlookers at the LA Auto Show this month, the Capstone CMT-380 prototype is an automotive beast unlike anything we've ever seen. Rather than mixing batteries and a conventional engine, this whip combines the former with a diesel / biodiesel-powered microturbine, which is -- for all intents and purposes -- a jet engine. Reportedly, the car can reach 60MPH from a standstill in just 3.9 seconds, hit 150MPH before being cut off by the electronic limiter, cruise 80 miles on battery power alone and drive from Idaho Falls to Spokane on just a single tank of fuel. It's being bruited about that the company is considering flipping this bad boy into the production line, but with an estimated asking price north of $200,000, there's sufficient evidence to think that the volume here would remain relatively low. Hit up Autoblog Green's gallery of shots from the show floor below, but only if you love peering at high-resolution images of stealthy, sexy things.
Qualifier: I realize that a '94 Ford Ranger can't go 150 mph. And neither can a global warming acolyte.
I hate these glamorous fuel efficient fairy tales..........Absolutely nobody I know can afford them nor will they ever.
Mythbusters covered that urban legend. It would be a heck of a ride.
Saw an ATV with a jet engine that did more than that.
How about an outhouse with a jet engine?
One of the darwin award winners stole a take off rocket for a transport plane and put it in his Chevy. His tires and brakes were burnt up and he was a ball of charred metal in the side of the mountain. They thought it was a plane crash at first.
The very first myth ever busted by MythBusters in episode one.
I will have to look it up. I saw the article on the police report. I will have to see if I can find it on line on the Mythbusters.
You mean that the article here was a lie?
The Mythbusters episode in question is the very first one. It was the pilot episode:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_MythBusters_episodes
The original urban legend placed the incident in Arizona. The Arizona Highway Patrol. In 1996, after numerous inquires, the Arizona Department of Public Safety issued a news release posted on their website concerning the story. It termed the story "an Arizona myth."
Could a car with a JATO rocket attached speed up to 300 mph (480 km/h), become airborne, and impact with the side of a cliff?BUSTED
"Adam and Jamie could not acquire real JATO rockets from the Air Force. As such, they used 3 amateur rocket motors of equivalent power to one JATO rocket. The rockets increased the speed of the car considerably. Although no speed measurement was made, the speed was clearly nowhere near the 300 mph suggested in the myth. The car also did not become airborne.
Idaho Falls to Spokane is about 380 miles.
If gas tank volume is 12 gal, that’s about 32 mpg highway. Not bad, but not 55-60 mpg like a Honda hybrid.
Biodiesel can be attractive but tends to congeal and corrode seals. Wonder how they handle those negatives.
“Biodiesel can be attractive but tends to congeal and corrode seals. Wonder how they handle those negatives.”
Exclude filters and seals in the warranty?
I followed one of the links on the Wikipedia page to this story in Wired:
Heard the One About the Rocket Car?
I don't know if it's true or now, but it was funny as hell. And if it's indeed true, it would explain a lot....
BUSTED
It is more believable than global warming.
Very true, but then the Tooth Fairy is more believable than Globull Warmig.
Hydroformed stainless tubing would take care of any issues with biodiesel ... plus, most systems have a pre-heater to heat the fluid to avoid congealing.
Rather than mixing batteries and a conventional engine, this whip combines the former with a diesel / biodiesel-powered microturbine, which is -- for all intents and purposes -- a jet engine.A turbine/electric hybrid (it wasn't any microturbine either) was prototyped prior to 1980, it's probably available online in the Popular Science archives.
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