Hot Commodity
Almost immediately following the SEMA Show, Goodwin received a call from Martin Tobias, the CEO of Imperium Renewables, with an out-of-the-ordinary pitch. He wanted to convert a beat-up classic American muscle car to run on biodiesel for a special Earth Day episode of MTV Network’s “Pimp My Ride” (PMR) television show. Goodwin agreed and flew out to Galpin Auto Sports’ garage in Southern California to begin work earlier this year.
After 500 hours of taping and build time, the outcome was the ideal “green machine”—an 800 horsepower biodiesel-powered 1965 Chevrolet Impala that gets 25 miles per gallon (mpg). Not only did Goodwin convert the engine despite skepticism from producers of the show, but the car also demonstrated the sheer performance that can be achieved using the renewable fuel.
The upgraded Impala raced a Lamborghini at the Pomona Raceway and left it in the dust. “I’m glad that I was able to show them that this diesel engine running on canola oil can pretty much yield all the power that you want,” Goodwin says.
