Ethanol Hot Rod
SA Hot Rods|Edition 80

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.

Ethanol 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.”

Denne historien er fra Edition 80-utgaven av SA Hot Rods.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra Edition 80-utgaven av SA Hot Rods.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA SA HOT RODSSe alt
“My Pretty One” 1972 Opel Manta 1900
SA Hot Rods

“My Pretty One” 1972 Opel Manta 1900

Owner: J.S Orlandini

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2 mins  |
Edition 111
Twin Turbo 350 Small Block Chevy
SA Hot Rods

Twin Turbo 350 Small Block Chevy

Designed and built by Nico at RS Performance

time-read
1 min  |
Edition 111
Building A Cal Look VW Beetle Part 1
SA Hot Rods

Building A Cal Look VW Beetle Part 1

There are few cars quite as cool as a souped-up VW Beetle that can easily kick the asses of more expensive car during a street race or on a drag strip.

time-read
6 mins  |
Edition 111
Sema Battle Of The Builders
SA Hot Rods

Sema Battle Of The Builders

2020 Winner Brady Ranweiler 1963 Chevy 2 Door Wagon

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2 mins  |
Edition 111
Behind The Scenes At Disc Brakes Wildwood
SA Hot Rods

Behind The Scenes At Disc Brakes Wildwood

Wilwood's new facility adds an additional 100,000 squarefeet to its manufacturing arsenal. The barrage of CNC machinery is run for two shifts each day, up to six days a week, with tooling designed in-house. That adds up to 10 tons of shavings spit out of the CNC machines each month!

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4 mins  |
Edition 111
The 100 Horsepower Upgrade: Cam Only 5.3L Test
SA Hot Rods

The 100 Horsepower Upgrade: Cam Only 5.3L Test

What’s a cam swap really worth?

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4 mins  |
Edition 111
SA Hot Rods

THE HISTORY OF RODDING SOUTH AFRICA THE FIRST GENERATION PART 3

In this issue, we follow the story of Eddie Jardine and friends during their rodding days.

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3 mins  |
Edition 111
Custom autosound
SA Hot Rods

Custom autosound

JAYCE’S CLASSICS SPARES OLD AIR PRODUCTS

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2 mins  |
Edition 111
SA Hot Rods

E-STREET 2 EFI SYSTEM AFFORDABLE UNIVERSAL THROTTLE BODY ELECTRONIC FUEL INJECTION

Convert your V8 from a carburetor to the E-Street 2 EFI system in a single day with only basic mechanical skills and minimal tools.

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2 mins  |
Edition 111
SA Hot Rods

AEROMOTIVE RELEASES NEW TRUE VARIABLE SPEED FUEL PUMP CONTROLLER

The state-of-the-art speed controller is designed to improve overall fuel system efficiency, reduce fuel temperatures and is compatible with Aeromotive’s line of brushless gear pumps.

time-read
1 min  |
Edition 111