1st gen Honda Insight.

Jonny69 · 06-11-2010, 13:17

I really like these things. I wrote this out for Retro Rides and thought one or two might enjoy it here, so here you are. They were built from 1999 to 2006 and were the first proper hybrid. Unlike the Prius, it is a lightweight car made of aluminium and weighs around 840kg. It's highly aerodynamic and runs a 1 litre 3 cylinder lean burn 67hp engine with a hefty 13hp motor mounted on the back of it. The battery pack is made up of a 140V NiMh cell made up of what are effectively 'D' cells.

As far as I know it is the most fuel efficient production car to date, with the lean burn manual model able to reach 84mpg and owners reporting they can get over 90mpg and some reaching over 100mpg under the right conditions.

This picture of the engine shows the motor in the back, a large diameter that sits in the bellhousing. It's quite an inspiring picture to me, as an engineer. I've often wondered how to retro fit hybrid technology to an older vehicle and I never considered stuffing it into the bellhousing where there is often lots of spare space around the clutch.

I think this car says a lot about the 'green' credentials that car manufacturers claim today. This was a genuine step in the right direction for truly efficient vehicles and the models that followed it (Prius 1 and 2, Insight 2) don't even come close in terms of fuel efficiency. In my opinion, cars could be significantly more efficient than even this model, but either the demand isn't there or the manufacturers are holding the technology from us.

More information here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Insight

There are about 250 in the UK so don't expect to see one very often. I've only ever seen one over here and one in New York a few weeks ago, which took me by surprise. They look amazing, floating down the road like a space ship.

Modding is pretty slim on the ground, with most owners choosing to go the hypermiling route, but there are a few about...

Not much info on the last one but there are some cool pics here.

06-11-2010, 13:17	#1
Jonny69 Noob Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Socialist Republik of Kent Posts: 5,032	1st gen Honda Insight. I really like these things. I wrote this out for Retro Rides and thought one or two might enjoy it here, so here you are. They were built from 1999 to 2006 and were the first proper hybrid. Unlike the Prius, it is a lightweight car made of aluminium and weighs around 840kg. It's highly aerodynamic and runs a 1 litre 3 cylinder lean burn 67hp engine with a hefty 13hp motor mounted on the back of it. The battery pack is made up of a 140V NiMh cell made up of what are effectively 'D' cells. As far as I know it is the most fuel efficient production car to date, with the lean burn manual model able to reach 84mpg and owners reporting they can get over 90mpg and some reaching over 100mpg under the right conditions. This picture of the engine shows the motor in the back, a large diameter that sits in the bellhousing. It's quite an inspiring picture to me, as an engineer. I've often wondered how to retro fit hybrid technology to an older vehicle and I never considered stuffing it into the bellhousing where there is often lots of spare space around the clutch. I think this car says a lot about the 'green' credentials that car manufacturers claim today. This was a genuine step in the right direction for truly efficient vehicles and the models that followed it (Prius 1 and 2, Insight 2) don't even come close in terms of fuel efficiency. In my opinion, cars could be significantly more efficient than even this model, but either the demand isn't there or the manufacturers are holding the technology from us. More information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Insight There are about 250 in the UK so don't expect to see one very often. I've only ever seen one over here and one in New York a few weeks ago, which took me by surprise. They look amazing, floating down the road like a space ship. Modding is pretty slim on the ground, with most owners choosing to go the hypermiling route, but there are a few about... Not much info on the last one but there are some cool pics here. __________________