280 SL

This 280 SL was spotted at Pep Boys in State College. It's registered in New York and appears to be in running order (or at least close to it) and though rather rough around the edges has a lot of potential.

State College Clio

Please forgive the image quality, but this was a spur of the moment shot taken on a cell phone. 

Spotted here on campus at Penn State was this Mexican registered Renault Clio. There seem to be a few oddball cars via Mexico running around these parts, such as an MG ZR seen last year. If an opportunity should present itself when I see this car again and have a camera, I'll post something a little more extensive.

An Inconvenient Truth About Hybrids

Above: Arguably the world's first 'hybrid' powered car. 1901 Lohner-Porsche

In the late 1990s Honda developed the Insight – the first mass-produced hybrid car to hit the market. It uses both a small gasoline engine and an electric motor powered by both a generating system and nickel cell batteries. The Insight was cute looking, purportedly got 70 miles per gallon, and rated as an ultra low emissions vehicle. There are a few reasons why a person may want to purchase a hybrid-powered vehicle. With the cost of gasoline now over $3.00 per gallon, the appeal of a vehicle that gets better fuel economy is easy to understand. With growing concerns over the environment such as global warming, a car that is rated as having ultra-low emissions is also appealing. So what’s not to like about the hybrid car? Driving a hybrid car is a symbol of just how much you love our earth and are also craftily avoiding paying as much at the pump. If you still wish do drive an obnoxiously large vehicle, you can even get hybrid SUVs from a few different manufacturers.

Unfortunately, what most people don’t realize is that it’s not quite that cut and dry. Somewhat ironically, the biggest problem with a car called the Insight (and hybrids in general) is what you don’t know about them. In the greater scheme, hybrids can actually be bad for the environment and most likely will never save you any money at all, if not simply end up being very expensive in the end.

The notion of an expensive economy car is of course oxymoronic. Yet essentially, this is what vehicles such as the Honda Insight or Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius and Camry Hybrid are like. According to Honda’s website, a base model Honda Civic with a standard gasoline powered engine lists for $15,400. This car is capable of 36 miles per gallon from a four-cylinder engine with 140 horsepower. Respectable statistic for a relatively inexpensive car. The Civic Hybrid meanwhile lists at $23,550. It’s capable of 110 horsepower and can get up to 45 miles per gallon. While this is 9 miles per gallon better than its more conventional brother, the $8,100 more price tag is a bit of an eye opener. Lets say for the sake of example that the average person drives 15,000 miles a year. If you divide that by the fuel economy of each vehicle respectively, you will find that the annual savings in fuel by driving the hybrid civic is 84 gallons. Therefore, if gas is around $3.50 per gallon, you will save just under $300 in fuel per year. That means that at the current fuel price, you would have to drive the car for over 25 years just to break even in regards to initial purchase price.  Rarely do people keep a car – especially an economy car such as a Civic – for anywhere near that length of time.

To look at it another way, CNN Money recently published an article citing a similar example of their own stating: “A hybrid Honda Accord costs about $3,800 more than the comparable non-hybrid version, including purchase, maintenance and insurance costs. Over five years, assuming 15,000 miles of driving per year, you'll make up that cost in gasoline money if the price of gas goes up immediately to $9.20 a gallon and averages that for the whole period.”

Lets say now that just for another example perhaps you actually were willing to keep a Honda Civic Hybrid for 25 years, or in the case of an average 15,000 miles per year, until it reaches 375,000 miles. According to an article published by The Second Supper, the Honda Civic hybrid requires that its battery packs be replaced approximately every 80,000 miles. The cost of replacing them averages around $5000. Therefore, a hybrid with 375,000 miles on it would have had new batteries replaced at least four times in it’s life at a cost totaling $20,000. Remember that the car cost $23,500 to begin with and has undoubtedly depreciated significantly. Those maintenance costs are based on the hybrid battery packs alone. This does not include anything else likely to fail in that time such as the other electronics, the engine and electric motors, and normal wear and tear.

An article on hybridcars.com points out something called the “Dust-to-Dust” report that studied all the new vehicles produced in 2006 and rated them on energy consumed over their lifetime. This factors in production, running, and finally disposal of the vehicle. It then breaks it down further based on the cost of the energy used and the likely lifespan of the vehicle and will actually show the cost per mile of driving each car. The industry average was $2.28 per mile. The Honda Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius both ranked over $3.20 per mile, which is actually more than a Hummer H2 at $3.02 per mile. For comparison a non-hybrid Civic came in at $2.42.

So this leads into the actual environmental impact of hybrid cars. Not all hybrids are rated with the lowest possible emissions ratings as one may expect. In fact, Honda’s Civic Hybrid is rated ULEV or Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle. Interestingly enough though, the Porsche Cayenne SUV rates the same as well. While hybrids do use less fuel and also produce fewer exhaust emissions, they require a significant amount of nickel for their batteries. The nickel is mined from the earth in open cast mines. This sort of mining can be highly detrimental to the surrounding environment. As one source stated, a mine in Ontario that supplies nickel to Toyota has effectively created a wasteland within a 10-mile radius from the pollution and destruction of the process. The nickel is then shipped to a factory in China where it is processed for use in the battery packs. From China, it is then sent to Japan, where the Prius is manufactured and lastly, as in the case of a car purchased in the United States, the finished car is shipped overseas for sale. The amount of energy used in transporting the materials for production and back to the North American market alone must be astounding.

So to sum this all up, yes, hybrid technology does sound like a promising proposition and I’m not claiming there aren't some benefits to it. The problem remains however that this budding technology still leaves a lot to be desired. It is expensive purchase a hybrid and clearly not worth it from a purely economical standpoint and the environmental impact is far greater than one would really expect. Raping the earth for material to build hybrids is not a good way to show the earth you care about it. There’s a lot of hype and deception surrounding the hybrid car and anyone considering purchasing one should be made aware of it. 

(This was a speech I wrote for a class at Penn State University. Nevertheless, I think it's worth publishing here as well.)

Below: The Honda Insight - based on an idea Porsche abandoned over 100 years ago.

Grey Market Phaeton W12

Volkswagen proved that Germans do in fact have a sense of humor when they came out with the Phaeton. They built a car that's arguably far superior to the top of the line Audi A8 and costs roughly $100,000. It also has a VW badge on it. They were only sold in the United States from 2004 to 2006 and are quite rare on this side of the Atlantic. 

I was rather surprised to find this example parked (poorly) in the parking lot in front of Penn State's North residence halls. I was even more surprised when I realized that it was obviously a grey-market car too. On close inspection, you will notice the front and rear bumpers have provisions for European sized plates. It also has reflective tape on the bumper - perhaps to comply with US regulations. Inside the car still sports a speedometer that displays kilometers per hour. There is likely an interesting story behind how this car ended up here, yet alas, we may never know.

Please don't junk your rare European car.

Over the past couple of weeks, I've been scavenging local junkyards looking for parts for my 300D. I've found a lot of stuff that I need: lights from a 300D, 4-speed transmission from a 240D, bumpers from a 280CE, etc. I have also found several cars that should under no circumstances be in junkyards (apologies for the photo quality, some of them were taken with my phone)

Fiat 1100:




It's obviously been sitting in the elements for a long time but it's mostly there and fairly rust free. This one is in Ogden, Utah, off of 17th Street.

1979 Lancia Beta:



Only a handful of Betas are left on the road. I knew this car before it was junked and despite having been parked for a few years, it would have been easy to get running. It's rusty underneath but it's not horrible. This one is at Tear-A-Part in Salt Lake City.

Simca Aronde:

Wow. When was the last time you saw a Simca in the U.S. How many Simcas were even imported to the U.S.? Seeing one of these in a French junkyard is quite a sight, seeing one in Utah is amazing. Much like the Fiat above, it's been sitting outside for a fair amount of time but it's mostly complete and fairly rust free, albeit a bit banged up.

Road Test: 1991 Porsche 944 S2

The Porsche 944 is one of the more common models you’re likely to see on the road today. There were a lot made, they’re robust, fun to drive, and relatively inexpensive. What’s not so common however is the 944 S2. The car tested here is a 1991 944 S2. This was the last production year of the 944 series before Porsche replaced it with the 968. Only 510 of these 1990 S2s were imported to the United States, 3118 being made total that year.

The 944 S2 is powered by an absolutely massive 3.0 litre, inline, water cooled, four cylinder engine capable of 208 horsepower. It utilizes balancing shafts to keep all that reciprocating weight running smoothly. The standard 944 only boasted a 2.5 litre unit. The powerplant drives the rear wheels via a torque tube running to a rear-mounted 5-speed transaxle. Performance quotes for the S2 are quoted at 0-60 mph in 6.7 seconds and a top speed of 152 mph.

The car tested belongs to my friend and fellow Porsche enthusiast Trevor Novotnak of the Pocono region PCA. I’ve had he opportunity to drive this vehicle several times now, and each time I continue to enjoy it a little more. This car has over 150,000 miles on it now, but thanks to proper maintenance and care, it’s still very fresh and willing to show you a good time.

A trait of all 944s is a very Audi-like feeling about the way it’s built. No surprise considering the 924 upon which it is based was originally intended to be an Audi model. Close inspection will reveal several bits of Volkswagen/Audi parts scattered around through the machine. This isn’t to say however, that this car should be thought any of any less for it. It is a very well made car and even though you may open the door with the same handle as an Audi 5000 or Volkswagen Scirocco, it will close with a very reassuring thud just the same as any modern Porsche.

You sit low and outstretched in the 944 just as you would in a 914. The seats are the same you will find in a later 911 and are stiff, comfortable, and wrapped in perforated leather. The shift lever is well placed on the transmission tunnel and behind a somewhat typically Porsche - and rather un-sporting - four spoke wheel with an airbag, is a classic set VDO gauges. The interior is rather plane, but well equipped, nicely ergonomic, and well constructed. The rear seats are fairly useless for more than a luggage area unless you have no legs. They do fold down to allow for more space under the fastback lid – a feature that can be useful if the large removable roof panel is stowed there. A twist of the key brings that big four to life and a sonorous, deep burble comes from the exhaust. While it may not sound like a flat six, it’s an exhaust note you’d be proud to have behind you.

The clutch is weighted nicely, though it lets out rather high and can be a tad tricky until you get used to it. The shift linkage is precise and the throws are typical of a Porsche- not very short, but allowing enough room to be pretty sure you’re selecting the right gear. On the street, this is a very easy stoplight-to-stoplight driver. It won’t really show its attitude unless you ask it to. With a quick stomp on the accelerator the demeanor changes instantly and a flood of torque is sent to the rear wheels and the S2 is all too willing to do a power slide for you. That being said, it’s nothing a good driver won’t feel confident about though. The steering is a little on the heavy side but very responsive and while when driven hard this car is a bit of a beast, you won’t be too worried about any unwanted off-road excursions. When pushed hard into a turn, it’s pretty neutrally balanced for a front engined car, though there is a slight tendency to under-steer unless enough throttle is applied to compensate.

All in all, this is a damned fun sports / touring car that you can use daily and not sacrifice comfort or drivability. It’s well made, reliable, and way cooler than most anything that would compete with it. 

Bentley Turbo R

Lurking behind a VW and Volvo dealership in State College, PA was this rather nice specimine of a Bentley Turbo R. Not the typical sort of vehicle you see in central Pennsylvania. I've seen the car driving before and it appears to be very well cared for. My guess is that it's awaiting maintenece - Bentley dealers are in rather short supply in these parts.