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Inside the headquarters trailer, Paisley explains why one-shot experimental vehicles often fall short of the standards required of mass-produced cars. Having to run at least 50,000 miles without fall ing apart is one problem. Another is meeting costly, complex Government require ments that carmakers consider an outrageous cross to bear. "When you think of all the things the industry has to do to get a car on the market, you realize what a gap there is," says Nattress. The words sound more reassuring from an independent academician. Convinced, however, that Detroit is holding out on him about the fuel-efficient car, the car owner asks Paisley why VW and Datsun and Honda get such good mileage and Detroit can't?
"European and Japanese cars have had to be more economical because they haven't had our resources," Paisley replies smoothly. "They probably have a five-or ten-year jump on us in small-car development, but we're catching up." The old challenge and response trick.
Paisley is optimistic about S.C.O.R.E., far beyond the skeptical car owner's inclination to agree. "You're not seeing cast iron out there," Paisley says, nodding toward the tarmac. "You're seeing aluminum. You're not seeing eight-cylinder engines. You're seeing four and even two. You look at some of these drive trains and you can put them in a bushel basket — that's how small they are. That's an indication of the cars of the future."
When the tests end, the overall winner is a dark horse: a turbocharged, fuel-injected, gasoline-burning entry from the University of Manitoba. It is not the most fuel-efficient entry, however. That title goes to the car from Mankato State University in Minnesota, which burned propane gas at a rate of 11.41 miles per Ib.
But Mankato, like many others, failed to meet the EPA's minimum emissions standards. The best diesel got 89 m.p.g., the best gasoline entry only 56. Poor old Wisconsin, Stout, apparently could not keep all that wonderful, inexpensive hydrogen from leaking out of its canister and never got going long enough to complete a road test. The disconsolate car owner makes a date with his local garage to tune up the old Impala.