Prince Charles Runs His Aston on English Wine

khallgeisler — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Prince Charles, the U.K.'s version of Al Gore, has taken another step in a green direction: his 1970 Aston Martin DB6 has been converted to run entirely on bioethanol, sometimes known as E100. The fuel he uses is made from a white wine produced near the prince's Highgrove Estate, itself a showcase for organic farming.

The DB6 only got 10 mph to begin with (it now gets about 4.5 bottles of wine per mile), and the eco-conscious prince only drove it a few hundred miles a year. With such low usage, the transformation of his 21st birthday present from Queen Elizabeth to vino power won't get Charles very far toward his goal of reducing emissions from his planes, trains, and automobiles 25% by 2018.

The European Union limits annual wine production, so any leftovers from England's current vintage can be converted to bioethanol by Green Fuels Ltd. The company has previously provided bioethanol to power the royal train. The prince's other vehicles, which include a smattering of Jaguars, a Range Rover, and an Audi, have been converted to run on bioethanol made from cooking oil.

Don't forget, DIYers, you can do the same yourself at home with a little leftover wine of your own.

classic cars

Prince Charles Runs His Aston on English Wine