EcoVelocity "future perfect" cult cars

How's this for a bright vision of the short term future of "green motoring?" The UK's biggest eco-friendly motor show, EcoVelocity, is aiming to prove we don't all need to tap into expensive, impractical and unwanted (according to Top Gear) hybrid and electric car technology. Good news, right? They are aiming to prove this at this year's show (September 8-11), by showcasing a "future perfect" converted Ford RS2000 and a VW Camper... modern classics, turned green (virtually, for now!). The show has taken two iconic vehicles from the 1980s – the petrol-powered Ford Escort RS2000 and the diesel VW Camper Van – and showed how stuffing them full of the very latest in green car technology would make them viable, modern cars with vastly-reduced CO2 emissions and improved fuel efficiency. They say: "EcoVelocity is seeking to prove that, by using cutting-edge technology available now, including direct injection systems and stop/start technology, the venerable internal combustion engine has life in it yet for the eco-conscious driver. EcoVelocity’s project cars have been upgraded virtually only, however, independent engineers have confirmed the mechanical viability of all the work suggested." EcoVelocity founder and organiser, Giles Brown, adds: “Both of these vehicles, although iconic in their own right, had monstrous CO2 emission figures by today’s standards. With a potential price tag of tens of thousands of pounds to undertake all this work, you’d have to be very serious indeed about going green. But what we want to show is how it is possible to make both cars eligible for free road tax (VED Band A), increase their performance and even enhance their safety features.” Makes good sense to us... why go to the effort of producing all these new green cars, which drive with bland modernity, when you can recycle and revive a cult classic and still get the juices flowing when you drive – with reliability, economy and environmental sensitivity? 

The EcoVelocity Ford Escort RS2000 features

- Modern counterpart engine (Ford 1.6-litre Ti-VCT) to replace original
- Thermal management
- Direct injection system for efficiency and performance
- Stop / start technology – up to 5% CO2 saving
- Hybrid engine technology – up to 25% CO2 saving
- ABS / ESP safety systems

The EcoVelocity VW Camper Van features

- Modern counterpart engine (Volkswagen 1.6 TDI 90) to replace original
- Thermal management
- Exhaust gas systems for efficiency
- Stop / start technology – up to 5% CO2 saving
- Hybrid engine technology – up to 25% CO2 saving
- ABS / ESP safety systems

The EcoVelocity show is at Battersea Power Station, September 8-11th and costs £5 for children and £10 for adults. Find out more at www.ecovelocity.co.uk