Even paying what you folks pay for one liter
to get an entire gallon of petrol, my
1964 Lincoln Continental's 8.8 liter Brodix aluminum V8 is getting to be a bit much to feed.
Upon restoration, the motorcar underwent a radical unibody to full-frame chassis reconfiguration.
This made a very heavy automobile even heavier, and it would take a lot of engine to encourage it to get out of its own way.
The ancient and worn 7 liter engine wasn't quite enough, so we went bigger.
Our engine builder didn't specialize in street engines.
He's a local legend at building 6.5 liter alcohol-fueled oval track engines, which are nothing like street engines.
They're started with an external starter, like the much more sophisticated Formula 1 cars, they have ludicrously high compression ratios burning alcohol,
and they have mechanical constant flow fuel injection rather than sequential electronic injection.
But he did a great job at building a 550 HP street motor which doesn't idle like a cement mixer and provides over 500 lbs ft of torque from 2400 rpm to redline.
Unfortunately, it gets about eight miles to the gallon if not pushed too hard. Such is the price of a roughly 6000 pound 60-year-old hot rodded car.
Essentially, it's just fully restored coachwork mounted onto a custom fabricated rolling chassis with a custom-built engine.
So now, with the internal combustion engine having served us since the late 19th Century, it seems that we're looking at electric cars.
I don't have the first clue about them, but I suspect most of them will remain as originally configured by the manufacturer rather than
"enhanced" as is the pleasure of North American hot rodders. Until we get to know them, of course.
I hope the kids don't sell the Lincoln when I die. There may never be one like it again.
