Zoomi Life

You might have heard of his project with Neil Young called the Linc Volt, a 1959 Lincoln Continental Mark IV convertible they converted to electric. Maybe you’ve seen the Hummer he converted to run on biodiesel, ethanol, propane, or hydrogen? Could be you heard of the 1965 Chevy Impala he converted on MTV’s “Pimp My Ride” to run on biodiesel. You know, the one that beat the Lamborghini in the quarter mile?

Ya, that guy. The guy who lives to make cars that spew black smoke, but only from their tires.

I have a feeling you’ll be seeing a lot more of him in the near future. Not only is he in a film project about the Linc Volt with Neil Young, but he’s consulting on the conversion of The Governator’s Jeep Wagoneer to biodiesel. His company, H-Line Conversions, is based in Wichita, Kansas and specializes in just this kind of conversion: taking a regular gas guzzler and turning it into a premium alt-fuel machine.

He likens the auto industry’s change over to cell phones. “Remember fifteen or so years ago when cell phones were the size of bricks? Now it’s a lot smaller and more efficient because the industry underwent a bunch of changes over the years.”

All this from a guy who never graduated high school. Now he’s got companies beating down his door to do conversions with them. That and his computer download, which is in final stages of development, that can be installed into a car’s computer to elevate the mileage by five to seven miles per gallon without losing performance. He thinks it’ll retail for around $200.

If you ask Goodwin what his favorite project is, he’ll answer “the next one.” You can find out more about Johnathan and what he’s up to at the H-Line Conversions website.