NEIL YOUNG IS A CAR BUFF!

Photo: Courtesy of CNN

Neil Young after taking his 1959 Lincoln Continental for "one last spin" before the car is refitted with an earth-friendly bio-diesel engine.

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It used to be that I fell in love with my cars (dangerous-because they bleed you financially). I've restored a couple of them and don't wish to do that again. But the closest I can come to sharing a "one last spin" story was the night before I sold my rare MGB-GT in Texas to two millionaire brothers who own a storage business in Wisconsin. Oddly enough, my car (which stranded me 14 times in the 3 months I owned it) ran superbly the night before the sale, with the dual-carburetors in synch. I found an abandoned road and opened her up to 115 miles per hour--(back when I was stupid--DO NOT try this). The next morning, the MG was loaded onto a car carrier and I lost $600 getting rid of a car with multiple electrical and mechanical issues. But Neil Young's story is quite different.

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He took his 1959 Lincoln Continental for "one last spin" before a team of mechanics (when you're a millionaire rocker you can afford a "team of mechanics") removed it's large block V-8 to make way for an electric motor. Car buffs may have had a fit. But Young wanted a snazzy fuel-efficient hybrid. "If we're going to make a difference, truly make cars more environmentally friendly," Young said. "We have to make that emotional connection." I nodded when Young said that because most everyone has a connection with an old car like his Lincoln. Weighing in at 2 and a half tons, the 19 foot-long car will run on bio diesel fuel until the electric motor is recharged. Young said , "It can get 100 miles to the gallon, not 10 miles to the gallon." The only drawback to this type of cool conversion is the price tag. Ready? $40,000.00 (US). Joining Neil Young is California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who's having his Wagoneer converted to bio diesel. So, as much as I loved seeing Jon Bon Jovi's appreciation for his 1972 Chevelle and fellow car enthusiasts like Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno, my guess is that like VCR's and Cell Phones after they first came out, you'll see the price gradually fall and even the conversions themselves will become simpler. But it's nice to see that one can "have their cake and eat it too" for a great cause. Oh, before I go...Neil is naming his car the "Link Volt"!