Jalopnik: del sol

Electric Car Home-Brewers Volting Their Rides

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:40:00 EDT

Not content to wait for the major automakers to show up with their expensive Chevy Volts or Electric Cubes, regular folks are home-brewing their own electric vehicles. While the results you get with golf-cart batteries aren't quite the same as what you get with, say, Li-Ion batteries (usually just 20 to 40 miles on an overnight charge), we doubt there's any other way to get yourself an electric-powered Honda Del Sol. One Atlanta man spent $12,000 converting his Chevy S-10 pickup — not exactly a gas-guzzler to begin with — to cruise on all-electric for 40 miles with a top speed of 60 MPH.

While this might not be the most cost-effective way to lower the price of commuting, it's a fun project for those looking to go green and who aren't interesting in taking the easy way out by buying a Tesla or waiting for something else. Anyone have a donor BRAT and a cache of golf cart batteries? [CNN.com, Photo: Flickr]

Do You Hate the Honda del Sol?

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 12:15:00 EST

As we have been for a few weeks now, Murilee and I were discussing exactly what car we're going to run and win with at next year's 24 Hours of LeMons. We're going to keep our current top choice secret for now (no, you won't be able to figure it out — stop trying) but I can tell you that our back up is an early 90s police Crown Vic. However, Murilee keeps yammering on and on about how great the CRXs did at LeMons. Then the del Sol came up and he mentioned how much he hated it because it replaced the CRX. I had no such feelings as the one guy I knew with a CRX was an asshole and my head is filled with great college memories of being chauffeured around in a topless del Sol with my then girlfriend planted on my lap. Plus, in 1994 Honda fit their B-series VTEC into the oddball little roadster, giving the car 160 hp. And they really handled, even better than the CRX. What's not to love? But how do you feel?

Have You Ever Stayed In A Relationship Because Of A Car?

Jonny Lieberman — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 13:30:00 EDT

Even when it's not, it is still somehow BMW Week. The Postfather has deemed this weekend's question "brilliant," and I ~~as his loyal, sniveling lackey~~ concur. From the Jalopnik commenter who calls himself TeacherSnake:

Earlier this week, my recently X girlfriend came by my apartment for the awkward post relationship stuff exchange. And she was driving a 1973 Cherry Red BMW 2002, that her parents had bought for her just after the breakup. Talk about a way to get your mind off your troubles. As the little Bimmer drove away, I couldn't help but quote a magician named Gob and say, "I've made a huge mistake." So my question is, have you ever stayed in a relationship because of a car?

While we've never done that...

...I do remember quite fondly that my college girlfriend's best friend had a Honda Del Sol and whenever the three of us went anywhere, my girl had to sit on my lap. Was that part of the reason we were together for over 5 years? It didn't hurt. Much more memorable was a beautiful young lady I may or may not have met at the tail end of a binge of some sort. Ahem. Her mother — who was firgging loaded — felt that her little girl ought to have a safe, reliable car. So, she bought her an E34 540. And while this beautiful woman was easier on the eyes than most, I'm pretty sure I only put up with her endless drivel about astrology and auras because of the E34's throttle response. You?

Maybe The Force Can Help The H-Wing Carfighter-amino, Luke

Ray Wert — Mon, 22 May 2006 08:40:00 EDT

Holy hell, we thought we'd seen it all. We were wrong. It turns out the Honda Del Sol can not only be customized — it also can be retrofitted with a hyperspace drive, an R2 unit and some various assorted and sundry post-Clone War tech goodies. Chewie'd be proud. Of course we'll need Chewie — and a good hydrospanner (not the cheap-o Black and Decker variety) — cause apparently this little customized nerf-herder was smacked up by its owner real good. But we want to see this bad boy hitting the mean streets of Mos Eisley pronto — so hit that link below and show your love to a lover of the el-camino / Star Wars hybrid customizations (the PayPal link is on the left hand side of the page) — and may the force be with you friend, always. (hat tip - Chuck)

Down, but not out... [H-Wing.com]