I have a hard time getting over the abandonment of the Thorium LFTR and MSR reactors by the US government in the seventies, purely because of the lack of potential military use. They had working models already in the fifties, and would probably have replaced all their U235 -powered reactors by 1980, if it werent for the lack of Plutonium in the waste. It sadens me.
Digsys, I'm sorry, but that car thing is bure bullshit. Cool idea, but it would give the driver, passengers and probably everyone in a 1 block radius cancer, it would be impossible to throttle or cause immense heating of the surrounding air. Imagine sitting 2 meters from the fuel rods in a conventional reactor with a few inches of steel, aluminium and air for shielding. Not even superman would dare something so stupid.
It is kind of funny that it was named thorium, Esmarkium would make much more sense! (Morten Thrane Esmark was the discoverer of the element)
Thorium definately has some potential in that it's way safer, more energy-efficcient, less harmful waste production and much lower cost. If there only were a non- experimental LFTR reactor (and not just MSR) built that would be of any real use!