TGIF! As you read this I’m going deaf standing next to the starting line at the drag strip. Remember to wear earplugs at loud events, folks. Your future old self will thank you.

Word Count Filler Time

Speaking of cars, let’s learn about a couple failed ones.

Brigs & Stratton Hybrid (1980)

That’s right, the lawn mower engine maker tried to make a car. Actually, they were making a prototype car and then use it as a proof of concept so that real manufacturers would buy a B&S hybrid engine to power their own cars. At the time, the hybrid concept was quite exotic and new. As most of you can guess, there was one huge problem that sank this project: batteries. The type of battery needed for a hybrid engine wouldn’t exist for another 20 years. With the battery technology as it was in 1980, B&S had to use 12 rechargeable batteries that were located in the trunk. Those batteries weighed half a ton and necessitated a second set of rear tires to hold up the the rear of the car. The performance of the car was dismal: 60 mile range, 8 hours to recharge the batteries, 0-40 mph time of 22 seconds with engine and battery power, and a top speed of 68 mph. Needless to say, no car manufacturer was interested and the project was dropped. The first usable hybrid wouldn’t go on sale until 1999.

Ford Carousel (1970s)

Ford execs had the grand idea of a van that could hold up to 7 passengers but was small enough to handle like a car and fit in a garage. They then built a full size clay model of the van and then did a survey to gauge public interest. The response was so unexpectedly positive, then did a second one to verify and the results were nearly identical. That led them to develop an actual prototype and made plans to introduce the van for the 1975 model year. Then egos clashed. Ford president Lee Iacocca liked the van, but his boss, the one and only Henry Ford II, hated it. He was quoted several years later, “I’m not a big survey man. I think that if you’re in the business you ought to know what the hell you want to do and you can’t rely on a survey to pull your bacon out of the the frying pan.” He cancelled the Carousel plans. Then in 1978 Ford fired Iacocca. Iacocca went to Chrysler and several Ford execs followed him. There Lee revived the Carousel idea, did another survey and got another positive response. So he built it. In 1983 Chrysler launched the first Caravan, and the minivan craze was started. By 1988 they were selling 450,000 minivans a year. Suck it, Henry.

We’ll cover a couple more next week for good measure.

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Sexy Time

Enjoy the weekend, folks! Alright, now let’s get to the comments!