Old VW HP - My 72VW SuperBeetle is 1600cc stock, and produces 58HP. Someone else mentioned 36HP for a 1959 Bugl, and 53 HP for a 1968. Both are correct.

Not that anybody much cares, but VW's had 25, 36, 40, 53, & 58 HP (think I've captured all of them). Some people affectionally call the 1600cc 60HP, but 58 is actually correct.

One thing about old air cooled VW's, you better not practice moden day hypermiling techniques if you want your engine to last. REVed up in the proper gear to provide cooling is mandatory, which is counterproductive to good fuel mileage. And there's certain maintenance tasks that need to be performed every 250K miles, whether it needs it or not.

If you like to tweek carburetors, adjust valves on your back every 6K miles, adjust choke occasionally, and change oil every 1500 miles, etc, then you need to have one in your stable. God, I still love um. Mine's name is naturally "Herbie".

I have been looking for alternative hybrid car solutions for a while
and while searching I found this company in Europe who has
developed a new solid biofuel powered vehicle technology
that sounds like what we all have been waiting for.

They have a vehicle called BioRacer, I will try to get more
information about it.

Have a look at www.precer.com

John

And I thought my ideas were radical.

A pellet stove, electric hybrid vehicle?

hmmm..... I can incorporate that. I already had a wood stove fired steam generator in mind. I guess pellets will work the same. Ok. It's not a bad idea.

“People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.” Chinese Proverb

You could make it FlexFuel -- buffalo chips!

It is the ignorant among us that will eventually destroy us all.