Nissan Altima Hot Rod Hybrid

SEMA's tuner crowd and the green culture seem at first to clash. Starting last year, though, and continuing even stronger in 2008 are green performance cars infiltrating the gas-guzzling ways of the typical SEMA show car. A prime example of this green mind meld is the Nissan Altima Hot Rod Hybrid, which started life as a normal, run-of-the-mill Altima hybrid. The standard 2.5-liter four cylinder engine gets extra power from an electric supercharger and what appears to be an upgrade to the car's electric motor. That four banger has also been tuned to run on E85 for extra power. A solar panel on the roof probably doesn't help charge the batteries too much, but it does look cool.

Assembled by Braille Battery to compete in the Hybrid and Electric Class of the Redline Time Attack Series, the car will also compete in the One Lap of America race series. Estimated 1/4 mile performance puts the 440-horsepower Hot Rod Hybrid at 12.9 seconds; nearly 110 miles per hour. Spent gases exit through leaf-shaped exhaust tips. Nice touch.