Progressive Automotive X Prize Mustang Claims 400 HP, 110 MPG; We Claim Baloney

Doug Pelmear is claiming his '87 Stang is good for 400 HP and a 3 second 0-60 MPH time, all while returning a 110 MPGe figure. MPGe? Yeah, that's miles per gallon equivalent; because he's using E85 ethanol, that figure might be about 80 real miles per gasoline gallon. So, is Doug one of those garage tinkerers who managed to create a magnetized fuel line or a super-efficient set of exhaust bearings which promise an amazing 100 MPG, but whose patent hasn't gone through yet, or it was destroyed in a fire, or the dog ate it? Well, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck...

First, 80 MPG for a Fox-body Mustang is like 300 MPG for a Geo Metro. We haven't taken the effort to run the equations, but we're pretty sure there just isn't that much energy in a gallon to begin with, much less all of the losses from various frictions and combustion inefficiencies.

The car is to be entered in the Progressive Automotive X Prize challenge and if Doug's claims turn out to be valid, we plan on turning in our engineering card, that's all we're saying. Check out the video on YouTube and see what you think for yourselves. [Ecomodder]