THE INNOVATORS

The cars we drive today were influenced by these pioneers

- Gareth Dean

When posing the question of which technological steps to take to improve vehicle fuel economy, the answers tend to fall on the side of engine downsizing. Even America traditionally seen by motorists as the land of the free and the home of cheap petrol and burbling V8s - is not immune to the pressures of rising fuel prices and tightening emission legislation. General Motors decided to embark on a series of fuel-saving measures for its products. The first step was to downsize its 7,0-litre V8 unit to 6,0 litres, but the results were not convincing. The option of retooling its engine plants to accommodate even smaller displacements was considered economically unviable, so GM concluded that the next best alternative was to apply some innovative fuel-saving technology to its 6,0-litre V8: cylinder deactivation. This concept was not entirely new.