But “Detroit,”–actually those automotive geniuses who are mostly sinister job-saving bureaucrats, have tied the guy up in court, and refuse to let this new technology hit the market, or so the urban myth goes. In fact, most of the time it is the OIL COMPANIES who are behind the throttling back of this new technology…oil companies and car companies are in cohoots here, don’cha know?

I have heard some rendition of the above myth since 1973, I think.

And then FAST COMPANY arrives on my desk yesterday…and the front page story is about a Kevin Costner -lookalike (their words) mechanic out in Wichita named Jonathon Goodwin who has just about proven the urban myth is alive—-at least on the functioning engine side. The cover article is titled “Motorhead Messiah.”

“…Goodwin’s experiments point to a radically cleaner and cheaper future for the American car. The number are simple: With a $5,000 bolt on kit he co-engineered—the poor man’s version of a Goodwin conversion—he can immediately transform any diesel vehicle to burn 50% less fuel and produce 80% fewer emissions.

Further on…

…”As it turned out, they were engineers for GM, the Hummer’s manufacturer. They noticed that Goodwin’s H2 look modified. ‘Does it have a diesel engine in it?’

“Yeah.” he said.

“No way,” they replied.

“He opened the hood, and ‘and they’re just all in and out and around the valves and checking it out.” he says. They asked to hear it run. When you start a diesel engine up on vegetable oil, ” Goodwin says, “you turn the key and you hear nothing. Because of the lubricating power of vegetable oil, it’s just so smooth. Whisper quiet. And they’re like, ‘It is running?’ Yeah, you can hear the fan running.

One engineer turned and said “GM said this wouldn’t work.”

“Well,” Goodwin replied, “here it is.”

Oh, and he has done the same thing for a Lincoln Continental, getting 100 MPH, cutting emissions by 80% and doubling the horsepower.

Talk amongst yourselves.

Tags: , , , ,