LaForce engine???

Question

Today while reading some old magazines I picked up at a garage sale, I found an article about the LaForce brothers from Richmond, VT who in 1974 built a car engine that "was virtually pollution-free and needed no catalytic converter, stretch the nation's precious oil supply and contribute significantly to the country's economy and ecology." Apparently it was able to give a car 80 miles per gallon of gasoline. Interesting huh? Wonder what happened???

I did a little research on the subject and found very little, but there was a page or two in a book called Supressed Inventions.

Answer 1

The engine was tested and failed in a variety of ways.  It sounds like they just tweaked the engine a little and claimed it was different.

Fuel economy and emissions tests (1975 Federal Test Procedure, the Environmental Protection Agency Highway Cycle, and steady-state emissions tests) were performed on a LaForce-modified AMC Hornet.^The modified internal combustion engine included the following changes: delayed inlet valve closing, milled cylinder heads, and separation of liquid fuel from the fuel-air mixture.^The LaForce engine failed to meet 1975 Federal emission standards for hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides during EPA testing; and compared to the 1977 standards, the exhaust emissions were approximately 600 percent too high in unburned hydrocarbons, 565 percent too high in CO, and 65 percent too high in NO/sub x/.^Full-load steady-state tests conducted on an electric chassis dynamometer indicated that the modifications resulted in a power loss of about 20 percent compared to an unmodified 1974 Hornet in economy tune.^The LaForce modified car delivered about 35 percent better fuel economy than the stock 1974 Hornet over the 1975 Federal Test Procedure; however, on an equal performance basis, the fuel economy of the LaForce car was not significantly different than that of a standard car.^Data from acceleration tests conducted at the General Motors Proving Ground are also included.

Answer 2

Yet another urban legend, conspiracy theory sillyness put to rest.  Really, everyone should be able to recognize these by now.  Some obvious tell tales:

1) Exagerated claims - have you ever calculated just now many miles is actually possible from a gallon of gasoline burned to supply heat to a Carnot cycle engine?

2) Conspiracy theory stories - Claims that this or that organization or cabel of companies bought up this or that patent 40 years ago and have kept it secret for all these years demonstrate a complete lack of knowledge about how patents work.  It is impossible to keep patents secret, because they are public docuements.  It is impossible to keep a patented item or process out of production for more than 20 years because the patent expires and the invention becomes open art, patents cannot be renewed.