Personally, Clapp doesn't have much hope for the future of the type of hybrid cars that use a great deal of electrical power. They must store energy in huge batteries, he said.

If one were to crash, "you'd have a lot of battery acid and a lot of current sparking and arcing," he said. But, he stressed, it's important to keep pushing to improve auto technology.

As far as racing on the salt flats is concerned, Kent Singleton said, "All of the safety updates are required to be able to race at Bonneville Salt Flats," including roll bars.

When Weber State had to sell the car, said Clapp, "I looked far and wide to find somebody who would put it to use."

He turned up the Singletons. "It was just wonderful to find a father and son," he said. "They were so interested in this car."

He enjoys the fact that they have kept the Escort in great shape. "We hope it does well this summer when it competes against Toyota and Honda."

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E-mail: bau@desnews.com