Revenge could be sweet for Ohio inventor

There wasn't time to install inventor Doug Pelmear's fuel-efficient engine in Revenge Designs' two-seat Verde luxury sports car concept for this year's North American International Auto Show as planned.

DETROIT - Napoleon inventor Doug Pelmear's HP2g engine won't be at this year's North American International Auto Show as he planned, but the owner of an Indiana boutique car maker said the fuel-efficient engine could be put in his roadster cars for sale by the end of the year.

Peter Collorafi, owner of Revenge Designs in Decatur, Ind., unveiled his two-seat Revenge Verde luxury sports car concept yesterday at the preview of the Detroit auto show. The metallic green shell is built around a Ford GT platform, but doesn't have Mr. Pelmear's engine mounted inside because there wasn't time, Mr. Collorafi said.

"We were still working on this car at 1 a.m. Monday. This is a concept to get people's opinion, and so far, the response has been 100 percent positive," the Australian-born designer said.

Mr. Pelmear's HP2g engine uses electromagnetic pulses and actuators at the top of each cylinder to help drive the pistons and crankshaft more efficiently. He also employs a variable displacement system that can take his V8 engine down to just one cylinder when additional power isn't needed, yielding gas mileage Mr. Pelmear claims is in excess of 110 miles per gallon of E85 fuel.

A brief video explaining how the engine works is available on the company's Web site, www.hp2g.com.

Mr. Collorafi also said that his exotic sports car, which could be for sale as early as November, would come with one of three engines: a 605-horsepower supercharged Ford engine, the 638-horsepower ZR1 engine used in the Chevrolet Corvette, or Mr. Pelmear's 400-horsepower HP2g engine. If the car is ordered with the HP2g engine, it would be assembled in Henry County, he said.

"It's all about numbers. We can beat on his engine in this car and see how it performs and do all the durability testing in a supercar, and then, next year, move forward with a passenger vehicle when we have all the numbers available," Mr. Collorafi said.

Mr. Pelmear said yesterday his engine company is "shopping" for companies to cast parts and do machining for his engines, which he plans to manufacture as early as this year. Last year, he opened a factory in Wauseon and is in the process of tooling it for production.

Financing remains an issue for Mr. Pelmear, he said, adding that he is pursuing angel and venture capital. "Banks don't want to touch anything that's automotive," the Napoleon inventor said.

Contact Larry P. Vellequette at:

lvellequette@theblade.com

or 419-724-6091.