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Mazda MX-5s Sustainable Journey

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To celebrate 35 years of the Mazda MX-5, four Mazda MX-5s – one of each generation – drove a 1,000-mile route from Land’s End to John O’ Groats using sustainable fuel. Powered entirely by a 100 per cent biofuel from SUSTAIN, the world’s best-selling two-seater sports car became the first car to complete the end-to-end drive across the UK using sustainable fuel.

Launched at the 1989 Chicago Motor Show, the Mazda MX-5 has always been the benchmark pure lightweight sports car with driver engagement at the centre of its appeal. To date more than 1.2-million MX-5s have been produced at Mazda’s Ujina plant in Hiroshima. The four cars completing the 1,000-mile drive were from the Mazda UK Heritage Fleet – a 1990 1.6-litre Mk1 from the car’s launch year in the UK, a 10th Anniversary Mk2, a 25th Anniversary Mk3 and a 30th Anniversary Mk4 – each one representing a key landmark in the MX-5’s history.

Each generation Mazda MX-5 completed the journey using SUSTAIN 100 RON E5, which is a second-generation biofuel from Coryton that contains zero fossil fuel and is manufactured from agricultural waste and by-products from crops which can’t be used for consumption. With no modifications to the cars required, the drop-in fuel utilises carbon that already exists in the atmosphere, which the plants absorb as they grow, recycling it, rather than releasing additional CO2, as fossil fuels do.

The 1,000-mile journey travelled to four pioneering organisations showcasing the power of sustainable technologies. While the 100 per cent biofuel used is not currently publicly available to buy, other SUSTAIN fuels are, demonstrating the role sustainable fuels can play in de-carbonising both modern and classic cars, and further highlighting how sustainable fuels could complement Mazda’s Multi-Solution approach to achieving climate neutrality.

The Land’s End to John O’ Groats drive is just one example of Mazda’s commitment to demonstrate the role sustainable fuel can play in de-carbonising motoring. Since June 2023, the Mazda UK Heritage Fleet has been fuelled by SUSTAIN Classic 80 sustainable fuel, which is commercially available to the public. While in 2022, the Mazda MX-5 was the first-ever vehicle to drive 1,000 miles across the UK and lap a circuit in each home nation powered by sustainable fuel.