(Fri 09 Mar 07)

A Le Mans Prototype racer which runs on tropical tree oil is about to go on display at the Eden Project in Cornwall.

The Lola B2K, sponsored by D1 Oils and developed by UK team groupBio, has an eight-litre diesel engine which runs on a 50/50 blend of normal diesel and fuel made from the oil of the jatropha tree.

The jatropha seems promising as a source of fuel in several ways: it will grow on a wide variety of land types (so it doesn't necessarily have to take up space which could have been used for arable crops); it produces a lot of oil; and the oil is so horrible that nobody would ever want to drink it.

At the moment the jatropha grows only in Africa, India and south-east Asia, but a crop will be planted at the Eden Rainforest - the first time this has happened in the northern hemisphere.

The B2K will be one of the star attractions at the CIS Insurance Sexy Green Car Show, which takes place between March 30 and April 15. Other exhibitors will include Caterham, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Saab and Vauxhall.

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