Green Supercar

It's next to impossible to get a feel for what the production version is capable of, and you rarely get a chance to explore the limits. Our time with the Ronn Motor Company Scorpion didn't change that sentiment, but it did give us a glimpse into the upstart's future and how its program is progressing since the concept's introduction at last year's SEMA show. Tooling around Sacramento in the V6-powered, hydrogen-injected roadster, the unmuffled exhaust made us almost as uncomfortable as the lack of seatbelts. But to the company's credit, the Scorpion is a rarity in the show-car world – a concept that actually drives. So when the call came from Texas to get some wheel-time in the Scorpion.


The commenting plate and knock a few softballs off the Scorpion's styling, understand that it's more attractive in person than in pictures, and it made the transition from the computer screen to a tube-framed, carbon fiber-bodied proof-of-concept runner in a scant 12 weeks. The low-slung front-end, swept-back headlamps, hood vents and bulbous fenders do their best supercar imitation, while the massive air-intakes aft of the front doors are large enough to swallow a 'tween. The rear track is reminiscent of a Diablo left in a microwave, and although we wouldn't call the overall shape "pretty," it does exude an air of '90s-era exuberance. Too bad things go awry in the rear, with a back end that's less J-Lo and more Eddie Murphy in a fat suit.