It's been a while since we've been over to see the crew at Gale Banks Engineering, so we decided to drop by and see what they were up to. They've been pretty silent since they ran the first-ever seven-second pass with their diesel-powered drag truck, so we figured they'd be up to something. And guess what? They were. Here is their second-generation drag racing engine, dubbed the DRE-2. It's pictured here on an engine dyno, which is used to measure horsepower and torque. Since the dyno can put the engine under load, it can also be used to fine-tune these racing engines, which is a very important factor in making efficient, smokeless, power. The original drag racing engine made about 1,250 horsepower and spun up to 5,500 rpm, but the Banks team has their sights set even higher for version two: a whopping 1,500 horsepower, and engine speeds of up to 7,000 rpm.

When we sat down to create the March '08 issue of Diesel Power one of the cover themes we bounced around was "vehicles that would be better with diesel engines". At the top of our list was a 6.7L Cummins-powered Dodge Viper. Basically we dreamed up a 1,000-plus-horsepower diesel sports car that could drive across the country, get 30 miles per gallon, and blast to more than 250 mph. Sort of an American-made Bugatti Veyron-killer. Our readers loved the idea, and you asked us to build one.

Today's relentless rising costs in oil prices have forced many people to seek out more efficient forms of transportation. The result has been an increase in both demand and production of hybrid-gasoline-powered cars for the average civilian's daily commute. But what about our local police cars that drive anywhere from 20 to 300 miles a day? Shouldn't they be fuel-efficient too? Carbon Motors Corporation has designed a police cruiser they claim will be faster, safer, and more fuel-efficient than current fleets. The cruiser, codenamed the E7 (nicknamed "The Machine"), will sit on an aluminum space-frame body structure, and the rear of the car is said to be capable of withstanding 75-mph impacts. It is said to be powered by a 3.0L diesel rated at 320 hp and 420 lb-ft-we speculate it may be a more potent version of the 3.0L CRD Mercedes diesel V6 offered in Jeep Cherokees. With a curb weight of only 4,000 pounds, Carbon Motors claims the E7 will run mid-14-second quarter-mile passes at 98 mph. Fuel economy is said to be around 28-30 mpg in combined city/highway conditions, which is more than double what many cruisers are averaging as we speak. With fuel economy like that, police officers will be better-equipped to do their jobs.

Dan Scheid And His Awesome Diesel Dragster Are racing toward another drag racing milestone: first diesel to run a 6-second 200-mph quarter-mile. At a test-n-tune session on Friday night for the recently rained-out OBX Outlaw Race, the Scheid dragster driven by Bo Layne ran an incredible 4.61 at 153 mph in the eighth-mile. Already the digger has run 7.31 seconds at 189 mph in the quarter-mile with a 4.70-second eighth-mile time, so the Scheid boys are getting mighty close. There are already numerous other six-second-capable dragsters in the works, so look for some stiff competition to emerge. But for now, this bad-in-black dragster is the ride to beat.

Diesel Piston Engines Could Be The Next big thing for performance-oriented vehicles, but what after that? The Tonight Show host Jay Leno and GM decided to skip to the year 2040 with their turbine-powered Eco-Jet. Turbine engines are extremely light and can produce a tremendous amount of power. They spin up to 70,000 rpm, but peak torque is available through 90 percent of the powerband, which eliminates the need for a transmission. Turbines can run on almost anything from gasoline to peanut oil. In this case, the Eco-Jet was built to run on B100 biodiesel. The car itself is based on an aluminum Corvette Z06 chassis, and has a carbon fiber body that is part Cadillac, part Formula One, and part fighter jet. The real oddity is the mid-mounted Honeywell LT-101 turbine engine, which weighs just a couple hundred pounds, but produces 650 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. With a target vehicle weight of only 2,400 lbs, the Eco-Jet should be able to run the quarter-mile in the high 10-second range, have a top speed of over 200 mph, and be capable of over 1.0G on a skidpad. Oh, and did we mention it runs on diesel?

Emissions regulations are tightening, and even now, new diesel truck owners are feeling the pain of decreased fuel mileage and clogged diesel particulate filters. In order to stay on top of new emissions technology, we looked toward an engine that is very clean, yet still can be expected to last 1,000,000 miles-the Caterpillar C15. The C15 is a 15.2L engine that powers semis that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 80,000 pounds, so we know they're worked hard. The fact that the big rigs weigh so darn much means they also have to produce good power and torque numbers to keep the loads moving. So how does the new C15 with ACERT (Advanced Combustion Emissions Reduction Technology) manage to be clean and powerful?

Three years ago, the idea of a diesel race engine would have made most people laugh. Outside the world of sled pulling, the words diesel and race were never even seen together in motorsports.

Diesel lovers, your dreams are about to come true. Nearly every major automaker is planning to sell diesel models in the U.S. by 2010, and many of the oil-burning cars, trucks, and SUVs that will soon hit our roads were revealed at the 101st annual North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Some of the new diesels are concept models that may not make it to the open market, but most are glimpses of future production vehicles that will hit dealer lots as soon as the fall of this year. Official power and torque ratings are not yet available for all of the models unveiled, so where needed, we've included estimates based on preliminary information and overseas model specifications.

Imagine a world where it's hard to find a gas vehicle on a dealer lot (no, we're not talking about moving to Europe). If certain vehicles were equipped with diesel engines instead of gassers, it could cause an avalanche of support and diesel domination of the auto-buying public. OK, so it's a long shot, but here are 10 vehicles that would turn the tide toward diesel engines.

It's no secret that Ford has a stable of winners in the European and South American market. One of its global platforms that has shown remarkable staying power is the venerable Ford Fiesta. Initially dubbed the Bobcat, the platform was claimed to be the first "universal car" offered by Ford since the Model T. The production platform was named Fiesta, which initially appeared in 1976, and has been a global mainstay for more than 30 years. The Fiesta continues its sales success with its diesel engine option, to the delight of both repeat buyers and newcomers alike. Sadly, the Fiesta was killed off from the U.S. market years ago.

In case you weren't in Switzerland for the 77th Geneva International Motor Show, here's a look at the world's first horizontally opposed (boxer) turbodiesel engine. Subaru designed the compact 2.0L DOHC 4-cylinder with a variable geometry turbo, intake throttles, glow plugs, high-pressure common-rail fueling with up to five injections per cycle, and a diesel particulate filter that's attached directly to the turbo. The folks at parent company Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. have not released much more information other than the fact that the diesel will fit into the Symetrical All-Wheel-Drive platform that is used for the Subaru Impreza WRx. The hot rod STi version of that car uses a 2.5L turbo gas boxer to make 293 hp and 290 lb-ft of torque, so it's not hard to imagine a 2.0L oil burner that sips #2 diesel and gets about 35 mpg while making up to 200 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque.

"The Finals"-it has a certain ring to it. Whatever happened during the season is in the past. It will all be decided here, and almost everybody is loaded for bear as the long winter approaches. In the drag-racing world, we heard rumblings of a 10-second Power Stroke that was looking to shake things up.

It's been almost 10 years since General Motors stopped selling the Chevy/GMC Suburban with an optional diesel engine. Since the demise of the 6.5L Subs, the only fullsize SUV you could buy with an oil-burner was the Ford Excursion, and that disappeared after 2005. that's all set to change thanks to the '07 SEMA introduction of the Chevy Suburban hD Z71 concept with a fuel-sipping 4.5L Duramax diesel V-8 under the hood.

3.0L Nissan DieselNissan has confirmed that the 3.0L V-6 dCi concept engine by Renault will be the basis for the diesel being dropped into the U.S. Nissan Maxima in three years.

So you want an efficient hybrid vehicle but can't imagine yourself driving a dorky, gas-powered Jetsons bubblemobile like the Toyota Prius that makes only 133 hp (after the electric motor kicks in). Well, the engineers at Mercury obviously felt the same way and designed the Meta One concept SUV--a vehicle with a diesel/electric hybrid powertrain that's based on a tweaked Lion 2.7L, twin-turbo V-6 that creates a massive 431 lb-ft of torque (without electric assistance). A 35kw (47hp) electric motor replaces the flywheel, starter, and alternator and enables the engine to freewheel when electric power isn't needed to reduce soot-causing engine loads. To meet California's superstrict AT-PZEV emissions rules, the system uses dual catalysts in the exhaust manifolds before the turbos, a gigantic oxidation catalyst/ diesel particulate filter that stretches over much of the wheelbase, dual-walled exhaust pipes, and a urea-spraying system to reduce NOx.

GPS
Never be lost again with Garmin's line of nvi GPS systems. These inexpensive devices call out directions and even locate points of interest like hotels, restaurants, ATMs, and fuel stops. Aside from the navigation, the nvis also have built-in jpeg viewers, world clocks, and currency converters. After a few trips with this little gizmo, you'll wonder how you survived without it. The nvi 200 starts at $320.
Garmin * (800) 800-1020 * www.garmin.com

The Ford Explorer may get the credit for being the first popular midsize SUV, but the Grand Cherokee has proved to be the real 4x4 king of that class since its debut in 1993. While the Explorer has become a bloated, independent-rear-suspension, kid-hauling parody of itself, this Jeep is still a real 4x4. Sure, it may have lost some hard-core fans when the front axle softened with the '05 redesign, but the capability of the Quadra-Drive II system, the comfortable ride, and the superb new diesel drivetrain make this one of the best 4x4 trucks to drive on- or off-road.

GM Buys Diesel MakerThe European Cadillac CTS is due to get a new 2.9L, V-6 turbodiesel in 2009 thanks to a joint venture with diesel-engine designer and manufacturer VM Motori, which is located in Italy. But that's old news. The new news is that GM has joined Penske in purchasing a 50 percent equity in VM Motori. One of the company's specialties is engine design for light-commercial vehicles.

How Much Are You Spending Online for Diesel Parts? Nope, Higher. Nope, Even Higher
Would you believe more than a million fargin' dollars in one month?! Terapeak is a developer of market-focused research software and was therefore able to determine that from January 25 to February 23, almost $1.3 million in diesel parts were sold through online auctions. Engine and related components were about a third of that figure ($326,675), while fuel delivery and air intake came in second ($251,997). Want to guess what the most profitable components were in the fuel-delivery category? Eh, you're bad at this game, so we'll just tell you: fuel injectors ($70,006). And people like chips, too ($208,081).

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Your Own Oil
Forget about used oil recycling fees. With the Kwik-Transfer system you can send used fluids to your fuel tank. The inventors say this is a legal and environmentally friendly way to burn off waste oils from your engine, transmission, generator, and hydraulic equipment while extending the life of filters. The system also has outlets so you can take oil samples at any time, fill fuel filters, and easily transfer diesel to another vehicle. The Kwik-Transfer box is small at just 7 inches tall, 8 inches wide, and 7 inches deep and comes with a two-year limited warranty.Kwik-Transfer (419) 541-1710

It's said that what people do to make a living is directly linked to their happiness and contentment. If you can find a career that pays well, has opportunities for advancement, and is something you have a passion for, then you've won life's lottery.

General Motors went on to pioneer the development of practical, high-output and lightweight, two- and four-cycle diesel powerplants, but it was Alexander Winton (famous for losing an auto race to Henry Ford in 1901) who began the diesel industry in North America.

It's simple: Diesel owners pay less at the pump - not per gallon, per horsepower. Diesel fuel has more energy in each gallon than gasoline; and when you increase the performance of your truck, you are maximizing its energy output. Meanwhile, folks running gas engines will see a drop in fuel economy when their engine is modified for higher output.

The New Coolness
Advanced Flow Engineering is already offering a cool-air intake upgrade for the '08 Ford Super Duty. With a maximum payload of more than 6,000 pounds and a towing capacity of up to 24,500 pounds, the new Power Stroke needs all the breathing help it can get. That's why AFE has created the Magnum intake system the company says has been dyno'd making 10 extra horsepower and 25 lb-ft of torque over the stock output at 1,750 rpm. The airbox is made from powdercoated 16-gauge steel, and the top is brushed aluminum with a clearcoat. Three different filter types are available: the standard five-layer, the high-efficiency ProGuard seven-layer, and the new easy-to-clean, oil-free Pro Dry S media.
Advanced Flow Engineering
(866) 503-9911
www.afefilters.com

6.7L Cummins Meets 2010 Emissions
DaimlerChrysler, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Cummins revealed plans in Washington, D.C., to offer clean-diesel technology on Dodge heavy-duty trucks beginning in 2007. The new 305hp 6.7L Cummins turbodiesel engine meets the stringent '10 federal truck-emissions standards in all 50 states. Dodge Ram heavy-duty trucks equipped with this engine will also receive the Bluetec designation. Bluetec-equipped '07 Dodge Ram heavy-duty trucks hit dealerships back in March, starting at $33,650.