FLEXFUEL
CHEVY HOT ROD DEMONSTRATES VINTAGE STYLE AND MODERN
ALTERNATIVE-FUEL PERFORMANCE
With a 500-horsepower engine, a channeled body
and a chopped top, GM's custom street rod looks right at home on
the salt flats of Bonneville. But instead of a traditional
gasoline V-8, this '34 Chevy replica rod sports a turbocharged
2.0L Ecotec engine that runs on E85 ethanol. Appropriately, it
has been dubbed the FlexFuel Chevy Hot Rod.
"Since the 1930's, hot rods have embodied
American ingenuity, aesthetic flair and the quest for
performance," said Bryan Nesbitt, vice-president of General
Motors North American Design. "The ethanol Hot Rod is a modern
statement that today's hot rodder can address energy concerns
about the consumption of petroleum without sacrificing
performance or style."
The car's low-slung stance and stripped-down
essence suggests track cars and speed racers of the late 1940s
and early 1950s. Open hood sides reveal the high-powered Ecotec
engine, which has been pumped up with the help of GM Performance
Parts' Stage III performance kit and a larger turbo. The higher
octane of E85 enabled engineers to tune the engine for more
power. It is backed by a GM Powertrain 5L40 five-speed automatic
transmission.
"The engine was built using the basic recipe
that is available in the Ecotec performance book available from
GM Performance Parts," said Al Oppenheiser, GM Performance
Division director of concept and vehicle integration. "Also, the
E85 conversion is based on a kit that GM is exploring for
regular production engines."
True hot rod aesthetic
Like hot rods built for the last 60 years, the
FlexFuel Hot Rod is built from an assemblage of factory and
aftermarket parts. The frame and body are based on the 1934
Chevy, but both were fabricated by the craftsmen at the GM
Performance Division (GMPD). The body has been sectioned and
channeled to give the car its true hot rod aesthetic, while the
frame is a one-off piece designed, engineered and built by GMPD.
The slanted grille - with a unique chrome mesh pattern - and
hood are integrated for a smoother look, which includes a sun
visor characteristic of period hot rod racers.
Like any good rod worth its salt, there are no
fenders or running boards; the 10-inch headlamps are mounted to
the core support. The front suspension is all custom-built,
complete with period-perfect lightening holes drilled in it.
A sturdy 8-3/8-inch Winters Quick-change
rearend is suspended by a parallel four-link suspension. It is
filled with 5.20 gears, which are used to generate brisk
acceleration with 35-inch-tall, racing-type Excelsior rear tires
and 29-inch-tall front tires. The tires are mounted on custom
18-inch front and 20-inch rear "kidney bean"-style wheels from
Budnik.
Steering comes from a custom-fabricated
linkage that is connected to a reversed Corvair steering box.
The linkage is mounted to the outside of the frame rail.
Hand-crafted cabin
Inside, the FlexFuel Hot Rod maintains its
racing-inspired minimalist theme, but with contemporary feel.
Hand-formed sheet metal and earth-friendly materials were used
to trim the cabin, as well as the racing-style aluminum seats.
The dashboard was hand-finished, too, and filled with
traditional-looking Stewart-Warner gauges.
One of the interior's central points of
interest is the racing-style driveshaft tube, which covers the
custom driveshaft. It is a prominent fixture in the cabin
because the body has been lowered around the chassis to achieve
the streamlined appearance that was characteristic of old-school
hot rods.
Road ready
More than just a conceptualized vision of an
alternative-fuel street rod, the FlexFuel Hot Rod is a driver
that GM Performance Division will press into service for a
number of road events and tests.
"This thing is going to rack up a lot of
miles," said Oppenheiser. "With the FlexFuel conversion, it can
run purely on E85, gasoline or any combination of the two. That
means it can be refueled anywhere the road takes it."
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