Eric Schmidt: 1976 MG Midget

The last school day of sophomore year for senior Eric Schmidt was an eventful one: it was also the first day he drove his car to school. Schmidt doesn’t drive just any car—he drives a 1976 MG Midget, a sports car that he found in a scrapyard in East Palo Alto and converted from a gas-guzzler to an electric vehicle. Schmidt’s interest in converting the car was sparked by his enthusiasm for cars. “I love old cars,” Schmidt said. “I’d always wanted to fix up an old car.”

Schmidt bought the car in March 2007, and it was his summer project to get the engine to run electrically. “The batteries, the controller and the motor are the most important components,” he said. Schmidt chose to use batteries made of a lithium polymer. “They’re very energy-dense,” Schmidt said. He ordered the batteries and a kit to help him convert the car from China online. The delivery took six months.

According to Schmidt, driving an electric car has multiple advantages. He doesn’t pay for gas and it is quieter than gas-powered cars. Schmidt charges his car nightly, and it safely drives 40 miles per charge. “It’s really a fun car to drive,” he said.

However, driving his car has its downsides. According to Schmidt, the 40-mile range can be a bit of a nuisance. “Also, sometimes pedestrians don’t hear the car, and they just walk out into the street,” he said.

With a car that stands out from the crowd, Schmidt gets his share of questions from the public. “People ask me if it’s fully electric, and if I put a little gas in the car every once in a while,” he said. “When people think of electric cars, they think of hybrids. It can take a little explaining to sort it out.”

Matthew Stephens: 1974 Porsche 914

Though his love for cars hasn’t been extended to attending automobile shows, senior Matthew Stephens decided to build his own vehicle. “I enjoy working on cars,” Stephens said. “I like to get my hands dirty and build something.”

Stephens first saw the car, a 1974 Porsche 914, at a repair shop that his father frequented. He asked the mechanic for the cost and was told that the vehicle was being sold for $250 because of its rundown condition. “At first I had no idea what I was doing,” Stephens said. “But the whole process was good.”

Stephens and his dad stripped the car down at their home and sent the body off to have all the dents pounded out and painted. Then they took the engine to another mechanic and together, they rebuilt the whole thing. It took three years to renovate the car.

Although it took him a long time to fix up the car, Stephens says that building cars is a passion of his but not a possible future career. “It’s just not the job for me,” Stephens said. “I’m more interested in mechanical engineering than working on cars. It is, however, a great hobby.”

The hardest part for Stephens was rebuilding the broken engine. “At first I had no idea what I was doing,” he said. “But now, the maximum speed is around 105 mph.”

Stephens is unsure if he is going to use his Porsche in the future because of college placement. “Whether I take my car to college will depend a lot on where I go,” he said. “If I stay in California then yes I will probably bring it with me, but at this point I’m not sure.”