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.”
This story is from the Edition 80 edition of SA Hot Rods.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Edition 80 edition of SA Hot Rods.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
“My Pretty One” 1972 Opel Manta 1900
Owner: J.S Orlandini
Twin Turbo 350 Small Block Chevy
Designed and built by Nico at RS Performance
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.
Sema Battle Of The Builders
2020 Winner Brady Ranweiler 1963 Chevy 2 Door Wagon
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!
The 100 Horsepower Upgrade: Cam Only 5.3L Test
What’s a cam swap really worth?
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.
Custom autosound
JAYCE’S CLASSICS SPARES OLD AIR PRODUCTS
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.
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.
