Honda Insight

In spring 2000, Lindsay, ever indulgent of and easily wooed by pioneering technology, took possession of one of the early Honda Insights in the Phoenix area. At one point I has flown out to Santa Clara, California, for a conference and Dad drove up to hang with me. I spent much of the time witnessing at traffic lights and the very occasional gas station his proud lectures to any interested gawker.

"It's a Honda Insight, a hybrid. . .the first gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle to be sold in the United States. Using an innovative 3-cylinder gasoline-electric drive train combined with an aluminum body, aerodynamic design and ultra-low emissions technology, the Insight breaks the 70-mpg barrier -- the world's best fuel economy for a gasoline automobile. It meets California's Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle standard and can travel 600-700 miles on a single tank of gas."

. . .Or words to that effect. Dad loved to report the overall average MPG he'd achieved on his latest cross-country trip. It was a fascinating science project of a car. . .economical but limited to two 150-pound people and one suitcase.

Dad and Car alongside Seneca Lake in Geneva, NY