GM's green Cobalt sets speed record

Two Ecotec-powered Chevrolet Cobalt SS sedans, one converted to run on E85 ethanol fuel, have set land speed records during this year's 58th Annual Speed Week at Bonneville.

The Bonneville Student Project Chevrolet Cobalt SS, based off a naturally-aspirated Cobalt SS, set a 156.073 mph record in the G/FCC class (G Class/Unblown Fuel Competition Coupe), while the Chevy So-Cal Cobalt SS set a 218.392 mph record in the G/BFALT class (G Class/Blown Fuel Altered Coupe) on Sunday. The So-Cal 'shopped Chev then set a time of 246.849 mph on Wednesday.

The Student Cobalt broke a 19-year-old 152.626 mph record set in 1987 by Doc Jeffries, while the other Cobalt bested the previous GM Performance Division record of 212.684 held by GM engineer Jim Minneker in a Saturn ION Red Line.

The Chevy So-Cal Cobalt SS set an unofficial 243.127 mph pass in 2004, however, because production had not begun on the Cobalt it was ineligible to qualify for a record attempt. Last year, the team was unable to set a record before rain cancelled the annual Speed Week event.

Driving both Cobalt land-speed cars, GM Performance Division engineer Mark Dickens joined the Bonneville 200MPH Club and became the first-ever driver to set a record using E85 ethanol.

The Student Cobalt was equipped with a nitrous oxide system for 2006, but the crew was determined to set a record using only E85 to help showcase the inherent performance benefits of the fuel, which has a higher octane rating than petrol and burns cooler allowing for increased power. According to GM, the team planned to use nitrous oxide for the qualifying run but the Cobalt's system had a glitch and the car still ran a better speed on only E85 than its earlier record.

To take advantage of E85's performance attributes, the students converted the Cobalt to run on the renewable fuel by changing the fuel cell liner, fuel filter, and engine calibration.

The E85-powered Bonneville Student Project Cobalt SS qualified again on Wednesday to try and break its previous record, making a 171.074 mph run by using E85 ethanol with the nitrous oxide system.

"The fuel classes at Bonneville are wide open, and that allows a person to run anything from nitro-methane to methanol to gasoline and whatever else is out there," said Dickens.

"We're putting E85 up against some of the absolute most extreme fuels available, and to be able to break a record using only E85 is quite an accomplishment."