Can you run a V8 sustainably?
A 5.0-litre V8 that runs on Biofuel and has a sustainable footprint? The British Motor Show is set to find out if it’s possible….
Sometimes in life, you have to look beyond the obvious. When it comes to sustainable car choices, most folk wouldn’t think of a 5.0-litre V8 muscle car, but The British Motor Show is about to change perceptions.
Sustainability, here and now
“Let’s make one thing clear from the outset – we’re big fans of electric cars, they are the future for sustainable motoring,” says Andy Entwistle, CEO of The British Motor Show, as he fills the 5.0-litre V8 Ford Mustang with Coryton Sustain Biofuel.
“However, some people they may not be able to change just yet, they may live in an unsuitable location such as an apartment block, can’t afford a new EV or maybe they don’t want to lose their fantastic classic. This doesn’t mean they don’t want to be more environmentally friendly, so we want to know how sustainable they can be in their motoring here and now.”
Over the next six months, The British Motor Show is trying to find out if an old-school muscle car can clean up its act.
Making a difference
Using Sustain from Coryton Advanced Fuels – a Biofuel that uses carbon scraped from the atmosphere, thus neutralising its output by taking carbon out of the atmosphere to start with – the team behind the show will be running a 5.0-litre V8 Ford Mustang, covering over 1,000 miles a month promoting the event around the UK.
As well as using Coryton fuel, the “Sustainable V8 Project” Mustang will also be run on sustainable oils, use eco tyres and will be maintained using reusable service parts or second-life spare parts when needed.
“We want to know if you can run a V8-powered car sustainably,” added Andy Entwistle. “This will be of real interest to classic, performance and supercar fans as even the most ardent petrolheads still want to make a difference – plus the low ethanol content of Coryton’s fuel will make it much safer for use in classic cars than standard E10 petrol.”
Calculating the environmental impact
The British Motor Show team will be keeping a diary of all energy, fuel and parts used over the six months and calculating the carbon footprint, which will be offset at the end of the year. The team will also calculate the environmental impact and cost to do this against running a Mustang on regular unleaded, and the cost of running a conventional EV.
The team will then reveal the results at the show in August, looking at how close they managed to get to running an EV and how much more sustainable biofuel is compared to regular petroleum.
Coryton is one of the world’s leading suppliers of advanced renewable fuels, creating special blend products using agricultural waste, such as straw, by-products and waste from crops that wouldn’t be used for consumption, and scraping carbon from the atmosphere to generate 100% fossil-free fuel. It’s a clever science.
Fill up and go!
The fuel operates in the same way as conventional petrol – you simply fill up the tank and go – whilst the company also produces specialist fuels for motorsport.
David Richardson, Coryton’s Business Development Director, said: “We’re delighted to be working with The British Motor Show on this project. We want to demonstrate to people how effective sustainable fuel can be – products are ready now and can be dropped into any type of engine – and how there’s no lack of performance whilst there are significant savings in greenhouse gases. If we can show what can be achieved with just one car, imagine what could be achieved across the whole fleet?”
“There are 36 million existing cars on the UK’s roads, and we need to be tackling those emissions now – sustainable fuel can reduce those, whilst EV technology and infrastructure is given the time it needs to develop. The internal combustion engine (ICE) is often seen as the problem, but in reality, it is the fossil fuels consumed that render the ICE harmful to the environment. It’s our belief that we need a range of solutions working together to help meet our net-zero target and that sustainable fuels could play a significant role.”
A boost for car fans
The sustainable V8 project was launched in conjunction with Sam Hard, founder of Hard-Up garage and well-known for his exploits on YouTube, as well as across the classic car and muscle car scene.
Sam said: “I’ve loved American muscle cars all my life, so to see a way forward that allows you to run one sustainably, with renewable fuels and without having to modify it in any way is a real boost for car fans everywhere.”
You can watch Sam’s intro video and find out more about the Sustainable V8 project. (https://www.youtube.com/@Hardupgarage – Video live from Thursday 2nd February)
Regular updates on the Sustainable V8 project will feature on The British Motor Show website throughout, so keep coming back to check on its progress.
Andy Entwistle, CEO of The British Motor Show (left), Sam Hard (centre) and David Richardson of Coryton advanced Fuels (right)
