The Queen is converting her two custom £10 million Bentley limousines to run on biofuel. After her son Prince Charles converted his Aston Martin DB6 to run on ethanol produced from surplus wine last summer, perhaps Her Majesty considered it a little bit vulgar to continue her royal visits in a 400bhp, twin-turbocharged 6.75-litre V8. Fair enough though we do like your style, Ma’am.
Currently the state Bentleys can perform no more than 20mpg, even at the cruising speed of a Corgi. However, Bentley insists that these engine revisions will offer a 40 per cent improvement in fuel economy. Plus using biofuel now means the Bentleys can be fuelled from a range of vegetation including say, the forest clippings from Balmoral.
Yes, it is true that biofuel releases carbon dioxide, but it’s still considered carbon neutral because of the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by the same plants before they were mashed into car juice.
According to Bentley, it also appears Her Majesty’s chariots will be the guinea pigs for a broader range of biofuel engine modifications the company is expecting to introduce to its range by 2012. Perhaps her entourage can use these vehicles when they’re finished.
Words: Jon Quirk