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This is a concept vehicle which few of us will ever drive. The Furai ^[5]is Mazda’s next hope in the future of car racing. While going green on the race track is not exactly an eco-minded endeavor, we’re still intrigued that this vehicle can be fully powered by ethanol. The very cool looking performance sports car shows that if ethanol has a place in the auto industry, that place is in the car racing arena.

It is a powerful machine, capable of achieving 60mph in about 3.2 seconds, and its maximum speed is 172mph. Instead of working from a regular chassis, the manufacturer decided to begin with a fully formed Courage C65 chassis, Mazda’s chassis of choice. The vehicle weighs a bit less than a ton, and its engine produces around 460bhp.

The Furai, while fully functioning, is never going to make it past the concept stage. It is simply a promotional vehicle. But at least they fitted it with an ethanol engine. There is no doubt that ethanol is a dicey proposition as a fuel source for vehicles. The fact is, that it can cause a number of problems ^[6] if it’s sourcing is not managed properly. However, it is a potential stopgap replacement to our energy problems.

+ Mazda Furai ^[5]