While maybe not my "dream" car at the time, I was certainly taken with the looks of the '69 Chevelle SS396 when they came out in late '68. I was still in High School then, so of course it was out of my reach. But I was lucky enough to spot one parked for the winter beside a farmhouse a few years later (1974). I would see it every day during my commute so I finally worked up the courage to go to the house and inquire about it. Turns out it belonged to the farmer's son-in-law. At first he didn't want to sell, but after pestering him for 2 or 3 months we agreed on a price - $1400. Anyway the point is I still own the car, it's been with me all this time, so maybe now it IS my dream car. ... View more

Just to clarify, the term "gas turbine" does not refer to the type of fuel, "the crown jewel of Big Red was its 600-hp gasoline turbine engine". In fact it refers to the hot combustion gases that spin the turbine. The fuel used is typically "jet fuel" which is more closely related to kerosene. ... View more

What I don't get is, why is it a 3.6V motor??? ... View more

Does anyone else remember collector "buttons" for lack of a better term, that consisted of a 1 to 1-1/2" round plastic "wheel" (the back was molded as a wire wheel and tire) and in front was inserted an image of an antique car along with its make and year. This would have been early to mid 60's and the vehicles ranged from the 1800's to 1940's or so. I had a collection of maybe 75 to 100. I have no recollection of what product they were associated with or how I acquired them, although I vaguely recall my older brothers giving me theirs. ... View more

"a compelling EV needs to be more EDM than elevator music" meaning Electro-Discharge Machining ??? ... View more

Actually, the 400 Pontiac was referred to as a 6.6 Litre. As seen on 70's Firebird hoods. ... View more

Actually, when testing in this manner, the meter will initially spike to zero and as it charges the needle will go to infinity. And as I understand it there are 2 ways it can fail, if the condenser is "open" (infinite ohms) the car should run, at least until the points become too badly pitted. But if the condenser is "shorted" (zero ohms) then the car won't start since the current is shunted to ground through the condenser instead of flowing through the primary of the coil. Of course there is also the possibility of a partial failure (change in capacitance) that will cause all kinds of drivability issues. ... View more