A new piece of technology at Portage Collegiate Institute will act as an exciting teaching tool, while also drawing the attention of those passing by. This week the high school's automotive shop received their cutaway car, a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt with parts ranging from the engine to the wheels cut away, to provide a glance at the vehicle's inner workings. While automotive enthusiasts have produced cutaway cars in the past, the vehicle at PCI -- created by Consulab of Quebec -- also features an electric motor to move the vehicle's engine parts, providing a clear look at how the inside of the vehicle works.

The school's been anticipating the teaching tool's arrival for several months, and it finally arrived Tuesday afternoon. Automotive Instructor Leo Lanouette says he's looking forward to showing off the equipment to the students next year, adding it will definitely assist in several lessons.

"It'll be integrated into a lot of different courses. You can bring the student out there, and actually physically show them what's going on here. A lot of them are hands-on students, so you could talk about this all day long, but until you can physically come out here and show them what's happening, then the pieces start to come together."

The cutaway pieces of the vehicle range from more simple parts such as the spare tire, or muffler, to more intricate pieces of equipment such as the master cylinder, engine, and brakes. Lanouette notes they're especially excited about the equipment, especially given the fact there are only three others of its kind in Canada.

"For a high school to have something like this, that's pretty huge. It's a boost to our program and it shows we're trying to keep up with things and doing the work, and the administration and board are all with us, to keep moving forward."

The equipment takes more than 800 hours of work to create, given the need to disassesmble, cutaway, and reassemble the various parts. While the price tag on such a piece of equipment can be tens of thousands of dollars, Lanouette says they were fortunate enough to receive provincial funding, which allowed them to purchase the equipment.

"It was all part of a grant you apply for every year. We have upwards of $200,000 worth of teaching tools and simulators that we've received through the government grant. This piece here is upwards of $30,000."

It wasn't just those in the shop who were excited about the cutaway car's arrival. Superintendent Hazen Barrett stopped by the class yesterday morning, to take a look at the new teaching tool. He says it's great to see yet another exciting piece of technology coming to the automotive shop.