Ferrari FF converted to run on bio-ethanol packs 875 hp

Noah Joseph — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:01:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Performance, Hatchback, Ferrari

There are drawbacks to every kind of alternative to burning fossil fuels in our cars. Electric cars don't have enough range.Hybrids are burdened with what essentially boils down to two parallel powertrains. Hydrogen is limited to where it is available. Bio-ethanol has its own drawbacks, but don't tell that to the performance enthusiast. That's because E85 - similar to what IndyCars run on but mixed with 15% pump gasoline - is not only a renewable and cleaner source of energy, it also provides more power.

Take the Koenigsegg Agera R, for example. With 927 horsepower on tap from ordinary 95-octane gasoline, the Koenigsegg is already one of the fastest, most powerful cars money can buy. But fill it with E85 and it offers up almost 1,100 hp. Now a Norwegian firm is offering an aftermarket bio-ethanol conversion for the Ferrari FF that provides a similar transformation.

Whereas the stock FF (which could now just as easily stand for Flex Fuel) already drives a prodigious 650 horsepower to all four wheels, the converted version packs a whopping 875 hp for a sub-three-second sprint to sixty, all the while dropping the car's emissions figures by some 80%. The conversion costs just €1500 (less than $2k) - rather insignificant considering the FF's $300k+ sticker price - and has reportedly been fitted yb an authorized Ferrari dealer to at least one customer's car, though that doesn't mean it's covered by (and very well might invalidate) the FF's warranty.

Ferrari FF converted to run on bio-ethanol packs 875 hp originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Citro�n introducing C4 BioFlex in Europe

Alex Nunez — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 16:31:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Europe, Green, Hatchback, Citroën

Click images for photo gallery

With favorable tax incentives for biofuel-powered vehicles popping up across Europe, European manufacturers are making moves to take advantage of them. Renault recently launched its BioEthanol Megane hatchback, and now Citroën has unveiled is entry, the C4 BioFlex, which will go on sale in France next month. When it arrives, the stylish 5-door will be priced identically to its gasoline-only stablemates and will benefit from the same trim levels, as well.

Since Citroën already sells flex-fuel vehicles in Brazil, it didn't have to go to great lengths to source the powerplant in the C4 BioFlex. The 1.6L engine is imported from the Ethanol-happy South American country and makes 110 horsepower and 112 lb-ft of torque when run on E85 compared to 107 HP/108 lb-ft on gasoline. Performance when driven on gasoline only is said to be no different than what's experienced in the C4 1.6i 16V petrol-engined car. As is the case with other flexible-fuel vehicles, the C4 BioFlex can be operated on any fuel blend containing up to 85% Ethanol. It does consume more fuel than the gas-only car (24 mpg vs. 33 mpg), but Citroën claims that it's ultimately cheaper to run because of the price difference between E85 and gasoline.

Pricing has been set at €18,650 for the Pack trim, €20,000 for the Ambiance trim, and €22,140 for the Exclusive model.

[Source: Citroën]

Gallery: Citroen C4 BioFlex

Citro�n introducing C4 BioFlex in Europe originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Aug 2007 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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