So big thanks are due to the great god of motoring for creating Morgan - a quintessentially British marque. Morgan has been a stalwart of our country's cottage car industry for nearly 100 years. While the Russians ruined TVR, and the Americans messed up Marcos, Morgan has remained steadfast. Which is frankly miraculous, given that some models still seem to be made largely from wattle and daub.
But despite clinging on to history and tradition like Brian Sewell to a Constable, Morgan is remarkably forward-thinking. Given that its development budget is approximately thruppence ha'penny, and the majority of manufacture is still carried out by mallet, the creation of the LIFECar is a modern miracle.
Currently at the prototype stage, the LIFECar is built around the mildly insane AeroMax and looks more like the Batmobile than a green sports car. And not just any old Batmobile either: this is one that Michael Keaton would drive (no George Clooney or Christian Bale rubbish here, thank you).
The technology is not far off comic-book status either. The hydrogen fuel cell is contained in such a strong alloy that if your LIFECar fell out of a plane (an unlikely scenario, admittedly), it would still not
explode on impact. Now here comes the science bit. The fuel cell system operates by electrochemically combining on-board hydrogen with the air's oxygen. Some clever things then happen involving electrodes, electrolytes and other things that the vast majority of us have forgotten from GCSE physics, and voilà, electric power is generated. Most impressive of all, though, is that the only emissions from the QinetiQ fuel cell are heat, water vapour and a sense of superiority.
The engine is only built to the size required for cruising (about 20 per cent of peak power), allowing significant weight and cost reductions. The rest of the oomph comes from recapturing energy during braking and recycling it into acceleration. Up to 50 per cent of this kinetic energy can be reused - five times more efficient than the insultingly unattractive Toyota Prius.All this results in a car that can accelerate to 60mph in seven seconds, yet runs with an energy equivalent of 150mp. It can go 85mph, but only has a planet-preserving 30bhp.
There is still a sect that believes a sports car without a gas-guzzling V8 is the automotive equivalent of a kebab without the chilli sauce. But then, they're the sort of people who eat kebabs, so can largely be ignored.
The fact is, a handful of bearded men, a few barrels of real ale and a shed in Worcestershire have done more good for the environment than most multinational car companies. While large manufacturers have invested millions in tooling, changing direction quickly is impossible and unprofitable. This is not a problem for Morgan - all they need to do is invest in differently shaped mallets.
One thing is for certain: the motor industry is going to change beyond all recognition over the next decade. And gee-whiz, the Great British Morgan LIFECar might just herald the way forward. Mark Hedley
