New for 2011: a hot new car
with design flair, cutting edge technology, and that certain "X factor."
This baby was built by a team of expert designers and engineers with experience at the racetracks of LeMans and Daytona. It is built on a ridiculously luxurious
100-inch wheel base. But it holds only
four passengers in seats fit for a kindergarten classroom. The exterior lines are so sleek, one might at
first think the doors are non-existent. And
one would be right: the only way to enter the car is by crawling in through the
windows.
Once inside, check out the amenities. A super-efficient mini-heater, but sadly no
air conditioning. You only get one wiper
because you only need one, as the windshield is only a couple of feet wide. Heated mirrors? What mirrors? It has no Bluetooth connectivity for your
phone or any way to play your iPod. In
fact, it has no sound system of any kind.
Step on the gas, and feel the power of those horses - all 40 of
them! - springing to life. The car runs
on a 85% ethanol/15% gasoline mix, and uses a rear-mounted motorcycle engine. But since the whole thing weighs less than 850
pounds, you can reach a top speed of WELL OVER 50 miles an hour. And once you get going, you can go for a
long, long time.
Oh yeah, this baby has that "X factor": the ability to go over
100 miles on a gallon of gas.
For that achievement, the Edison2 Very Light Car, which looks
like a funny silver egg on outrigger wheels, was awarded yesterday with the "Automotive
X Prize," sponsored by Progressive Insurance. Which means in addition to all its other
cutting-edge attributes, it now has one heck of a sticker price: a cool $5 Million.
(A correction to last week's Sliver: our Oregon correspondent viciously and correctly clarified that the Animal House parade scene was filmed not in LA as stated, but in Cottage Grove, OR. Thank you, sir, may I have another...)
You can read previous installments of
the quick Sliver in our online archive. Just go here: http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs015/1103023679528/archive/1103033975377.html
|
