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An enigmatic entrepreneur who dreamed of winning the $10 million Progressive Automotive X-Prize has given up and listed his hoopty on eBay.
The contestant, known only by the eBay handle BrocktonEnergyLLC, invested two years of R&D in the heavily modified 1995 Chrysler LaBaron before deciding it's simply not a contender. He notes in his listing that "the car is fairly fast and averages about 50 MPG."
That's only half the figure required under the guidelines to compete in the race to build the first production-ready car to exceed 100 MPGe (that's Miles Per Gallon Equivalent -- a measurement intended to include cars that run on sources other than gasoline).
Still, getting 50 mpg out of a LeBaron is impressive, even if we have to ask, "Why a Lebaron?"
The EPA rates the '95 LeBaron at 18 city / 26 highway, so getting an average of almost twice that is no easy feat if you aren't a hardcore hypermiler. We're left to speculate as to how he did it, because the owner will speak only to bidders and only through eBay. All he says in the listing is, "We optimized it in many ways (including the engine & transmission itself) but there is just too much to list,"
he wrote. "We also lightened the car by about 300 pounds, which helped all-around."
BrocktonEnergyLLC told one bidder it "spent almost two years doing R&D on this project," and tells another, "from what I can remember, it's a 1995 Chrysler Lebaron with a 3.0L V6 engine." Hmmm... you'd think BrocktonEnergyLLC would at least pop the hood to confirm that. Modifications include "road tests, aerodynamic tests, emissions testing, and so on. We tried over
40 different tires, wheels, and driveline parts on this car so far." That's more than can be said for the Chrysler TC.
According to the eBay profile, Brockton Energy recently "acquired Brockton-based Zigouras Engineering, Inc." Zigouras should sound familiar if you're into alternative-alternative fuels and conspiracy theories. Paul Zigouras, whose name appears on a Google search of Brockton Energy's phone number, is a legend in the world of "water for fuel."
It's rumored that Mr. Zigouras invented a incredibly (some say improbably) efficient "hydroxy gas electrolyzer system" that landed him in some hot water of his own. St. Mary's, Maryland County Commissioner Larry Jarboe told St. Mary's Today that "two men in black from the Justice Department had visited Paul threatening that he would be subject to high fines and fifty years in prison if he sold another unit due to national security concerns." Others claim that gas companies paid Zigouras $6 million to keep his invention secret. Regardless of whether any of those rumors are true, Zigouras' contributions to energy technology are hotly contested on online message boards.
Could Brockton Energy be cagey about their creation because they fear running afoul of more "men in black"? Is that high bidder a secret agent looking to keep the technology from the public? More importantly, has any actual baron ever owned a LeBaron?
Currently, the car has one bid of $1900. Considering the NADA value of a '95 LeBaron is less than $1000, we think that in addition to all the modifications this one must have been owned by Jon Voight.
Photo via eBay.
POST UPDATED 8:55 p.m. Eastern time Feb. 5.
