Classic cars kept alive in EV era: Mazda UK's RX7s, RX8s, Cosmo, and more now run on sustainable fuel

Mazda UK's 15-strong Heritage Fleet have all been shot straight into 2023 with their switch to sustainable fuels, giving a new lease of life on these classic rides while proving that alternative fuels still have a place in everyday motoring.

The range – which includes the Cosmo, one of the world's first production cars to have a rotary engine, an RX3, as well some RX7s and RX8s – will be filled with Coryton's Sustain Classic Super 80. The best part? Purists will be kept happy as none of these cars needed any modification to take in the biofuel.

The fuel itself is a marvel: it's created using 80% agricultural waste (straw, for example, besides by-products and waste that can't be used for human or animal consumption), is rated RON 98, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by at least 65% when compared to conventional fossil fuels.

Also read: Mazda further develops alternative fuels, takes MX-5 Miata racing with synthetic carbon-neutral fuel

It's not the first rodeo for both Coryton and Mazda, as in November 2022 the carmaker drove a 2.0-litre MX-5 for 1,000 miles (1,609 km) around the UK, all powered by sustainable fuels.

More pertinently, it highlights an increasingly-adopted multi-solution approach to carbon reduction – as Mazda's new car range feature more electrification, its heritage cars using sustainable fuels highlight the role these fuels can have in reducing the environmental impact combustion engine cars will have on the environment.

Also read: Every bit helps: How Toyota's multi-pathway approach can help Malaysia decarbonise