Is The E-Rod The Real Future?

By Joe Whitaker

Hot rod and classic cars trends do come and go. Some are fads that last only a few months while others hang on for a few years. Many of the current trends are as a direct result of the true car-guy just getting sick and tired of high-priced fluff-bomb billet clad cars and going back to the basics and building just a good old hot rod (rat rod?). Still others seem to be inspired by the options and accessories that new cars now come equipped with (all-leather interiors, big disc brakes, etc.) While trends, themes and fads change; one thing has remained constant from the very start – we all like our cars to perform. From the old days of installing a 4-barrel, headers and a camshaft to current installations of anti-sway bars, disc brakes and fuel injected engines…all are designed to make our classics and hot rods that much more fun to drive than the everyday car.

There have been times when the car magazines and hobbyists have taken an interest in improved fuel economy as long as it does not come at a huge cost and does not reduce performance. Many of these trends were just fads and have long since disappeared into the sunset. Remember the Hot Rod Magazine Project Green Machine and all those little short V6 engines stuffed into hot rods? That only lasted a few years when everyone decided that stuff was junk and went back to V8 engines. When GM introduced the 700R4 overdrive and it was discovered that those transmissions could handle some real horsepower and improve gas mileage, we car guys jumped on board and made it a very popular install in our old cars. Same with the LS series engines. The LS delivers some serious horsepower, extremely good reliability and excellent fuel economy. Most importantly for the average hot rodder, the LS engines have become cheap and plentiful in the salvage yards or even as “new” crate engines from aftermarket engine builders. While good old fashioned carbureted small blocks still way outnumber injected LS engines in the classic Chevy world, every day an LS becomes the choice of a guy building another classic for himself.

While fuel economy is certainly an increasing concern, our cars are often driven so little that spending big bucks for a fuel efficient engine most often just does not make sense. Why spend $5000 more to get an extra 10 mpg when you only drive the car 2,000 miles per year? That is certainly why the average car guy with limited funds chooses the most economical drivetrain from the standpoint of initial investment, performance and fuel economy – usually in that order. Do any of us car about emissions? Certainly most of us do care and do not want to contribute to a bad environment, but again, we drive our cars so little that the footprint of a high carbon output hot rod seen once per 10,000 cars has no real impact on the environment anyway. Folks that live in emissions conscious states or provinces like California may have to have their car inspected and sniff tested before it can be registered. Fortunately for all of us, all of these states generally have a 20 or 25 year and older exemption so our classics are not affected. California does, however, have a requirement by year of the engine and not the car. So, if you have a 1957 that has a 1995 engine, the car is subjected to 1995 emissions standards. But if you have a 50 year old car with a 50 year old engine, you are exempt.

GM has more actively jumped into fuel efficient performance engines with their LS3 powered ’55 Chevy E-ROD project. They boast that the E-ROD is “The Future Of Hot Rod Performance”. For the life of me I cannot recall when a car company has ever decided on their own the future of hot rod performance. Hot rodders have always taken what the car companies build, we take it all apart, throw away what we do not like and then build it better, faster, stronger ourselves…in a way that few automotive engineers with bean counters breathing down their necks ever could. While the execution of the E-Rod project is certainly commendable and is certainly a “test the waters” move on their part, I don’t see many of us running to the bank and taking our hard earned dollars out to build a car like they did. The price of the E-ROD LS3 setup? Now before I am even more critical, it does include the 430 HP engine, the computer, wiring, part of the exhaust, and the GM warranty, all for $9,375. and you pick it up at your local GM dealer no charge for shipping. Almost $10K? Why would you do this when the same thing could be done locally for $2000-$3000? The package is CARB (California Air Resources Board) compliant, but so are other newer LS salvage yard engines at a fraction of the cost. Or, choose an older engine and you are 100% exempt from CARB type mandates anyway.

Perhaps history will prove me wrong, but I do seriously doubt that the E-ROD is our future unless the government one day mandates it. We car guys will continue to figure it all out ourselves at a fraction of the cost and we will wind up with something better.