I drove from Land's End to John O’Groats on 100% sustainable fuel - how I saved CO2 and set a new UK record

Jim McGill drove from Land's End to John O'Groats. Images David Smith | David Smith

It’s not every day you get the chance to set a new UK record. And for a motoring writer, it’s even less likely that that record would be focused on the environment. But given the chance to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Mazda MX-5 by driving the four generations of the car from Land’s End to John O’Groats using solely 100% biofuel, and be the first driver to set the record, could I really say no?

Bizarrely, the LeJoG had long been on my bucket list, and being able to do it powered by sustainable fuel and in the world’s best-selling two-seater sports car certainly appealed. So it was off to Land’s End.

Waiting for me to tackle the 1000-mile jaunt were four cars 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.

Mazda isn’t new to sustainable fuel. Since June 2023 its UK Heritage Fleet has been powered by sustainable fuel from Sustain. And it was Sustain 100 RON E5, which is a second-generation biofuel from Coryton, the company which makes the fuel, I’d be using for the trip.

So let’s deal with the big question right away: what is sustainable fuel? Put simply, it contains zero fossil fuel and is manufactured from agricultural waste and by-products from crops which can’t be used for consumption; essentially in this case, straw. With no modifications whatsoever required to the cars, 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.

What difference could sustainable fuel make to the environment? Quite a bit actually. The government’s own figures show that switching to sustainable fuel could reduce carbon emissions by more than 80%. That’s a figure not to be sniffed at.

While the switch to electric vehicles remains the principal alternative to the internal combustion engine (ICE), the development and growth of sustainable fuels is widely acknowledged as being crucial in maintaining the use of ICE vehicles while dramatically reducing emissions, and with no reduction in performance.

Launched by Coryton, part of the Aspen Group, in 2021, Sustain already has a track record in both the racing and classic car world. Not to mention the fact that it also powers F2 single seater-racing catamarans.

In 2022 and 2023, Coryton fuelled Prodrive’s BRX team for its assault on the Dakar Rally. In both years cars fuelled by the company finished on the podium. So surely a leisurely three-day drive up to John O’Groats should be something of a dawdle.

Day one

7am on the morning of Day 1: Land’s End to, of all places, Sheffield. Why? Because our route to the northernmost tip of mainland Britain would take us to four pioneering organisations showcasing the power of sustainable technologies.

After stopping off at Bicester Heritage Centre in Oxfordshire for a refuel at Motor Spirit, the first distributor for Sustain Classic, the UK’s first publicly available sustainable petrol designed specifically for classic vehicles, Sheffield is home to the Translational Energy Research Centre (TERC) at the city’s university.

Jim McGill at Land’s End next to a second generation Mazda MX-5. Credit: David Smith | David Smith

TERC is a world-leading pilot-scale research centre, working with industry to test and develop green energy solutions for a de-carbonised future.

With the chilly morning sea mist still rolling in from the Atlantic, I committed to doing the full 1000-mile trip with the roof down. What’s the point in having an MX-5 if you’re not going to enjoy the full open-air experience?

Having seen the day’s forecast, I was confident that three or four miles inland the skies would clear and it’d be a blistering hot day. And so it proved; the hottest day of the year so far. But I have to admit, as I rolled out of the car park of the Land’s End Hotel in the Mk1 MX-5 in shorts and a t-shirt, and the roof down, I questioned my decision-making as it was decidedly cold and damp.

The roof though was down, and after 10 minutes or so, the skies gradually cleared and I settled into the feel of the car which started it all off. This Mk1 was registered on May 12, 1990, and since then more than 1.2-million MX-5s have been produced at Mazda’s Ujina plant in Hiroshima, with over 135,000 of these being sold in the UK.

It may be the best part of 35 years old, but as I rolled through Cornwall, into Devon, then Somerset and Wiltshire before entering Oxfordshire, the four-cylinder 1.6-litre engine pulled as strongly as it did when it left the factory. Cruising comfortably at the legal limit on the motorway, it came into its own once we headed off onto flowing A-roads where the lightness of the sporty five-speed ‘box allowed be to exploit all its 114bhp.

Having stopped to refuel both me and the MX-5 at Bicester, it was on up the M1 to Sheffield. For this leg I upgraded to the 1.8-litre 10th Anniversary Mk2, with its four-cylinder engine producing 140bhp delivered via a six-speed gearbox.

Interestingly the dimensions were essentially a mirror of the Mk1: width 1675mm for the Mk1 v 1680mm for the Mk2; wheelbase the same at 2265mm; ditto the length, 3975mm, but the weight was up from 955kg to 1100kg. And yet somehow the designers had repackaged the cabin and it not only felt more spacious, but there were notable improvements to the quality of the touch-points.

There are times doing LeJoG that miles simply need to be covered, and I have to admit the stretch up to Sheffield was — how shall I put it politely? — a roadwork-infested slog.

Honestly, if I see another 50mph Average Speed Camera again I’ll scream. Mile, after mile, are mile, after mile. Monotonous. And in the 120-odd miles and two-and-a-half hours of driving, not once did I see anyone actually doing any work on the motorway.

By the time we reached our overnight halt, our route had covered around 450-miles. Neither of the cars had missed a beat; the roof had stayed up; and my forearms were feeling the effects of the sun.

Day Two

Day 2 dawned chilly, and having seen the forecast as we ventured further north, jeans and a fleece were the order of the day.

Still in the attractive Innocent Blue Mica of the 1999 Mk2, it was back on the M1/A1 — yup, more roadworks and 50mph zones — to Scotch Corner before turning west to take the A66 enroute to the Windermere Boat Racing Club for a photoshoot with the F2 single-seater, 2.0-litre, 120mph catamaran and lunch.

If you’ve driven the A-roads of the Lake District you’ll know how well the MX-5 suits the terrain. It was in its element. After lunch though it was a short cross-country hop before joining the M6.

And now I was in the 2014 25th Anniversary model. This third-generation MX-5 was not only powered by a 2.0-litre, 160bhp four-cylinder unit, but was also fitted with a steel retractable roof, unlike the fabric of the previous two models I had driven. Dimensions too had grown, but only slightly, being 1720mm wide, 3995mm long and with a wheelbase of 2329mm. It had also added another 5kg in weight.

The Mazda fleet crosses the Scotland-England border. Credit: David Smith | David Smith

But while we were scheduled to take the A74(M) up to the south of Glasgow before heading across the M80 to the Celtic Renewables Refinery at Grangemouth, my local knowledge steered me to the A701 from Moffat to Penicuik and the Edinburgh bypass.

I’ve always loved this road, and here again on a fast-flowing, open A-road the MX-5, especially with the larger engine and six-speed ‘box, was in its happy place. Even the two heavy showers didn’t dampen my enthusiasm … and still the roof stayed down.

A brief stop at Grangemouth, for coffee and Sustain refuel, gave a short insight into the work being done by Celtic Renewables, a pioneering technology-led producer of green chemicals, contributing to the sustainability of manufacturing and industrial processes. While the company doesn’t produce fuel, its chemicals have a significant impact on many of the interior parts which are fitted to new vehicles.

As I left the refinery, the skies opened. Next stop Dunblane. Undaunted, the roof went down. It’s amazing how the MX-5’s aerodynamics stops the rain entering the cabin once you reach a certain speed. The challenge is, not dropping below that. Hit traffic lights at the wrong time and, yes, you get wet.

The start of the final leg beckoned at 8am the next day. Jeans and fleece on, I moved up another step to the 30th Anniversary model. Just 3000 were produced globally, and the Mazda UK Heritage fleet has No1. In its bold Orange Racing paint, it also has a super heating system … and heated seats. It was never in doubt: roof down!

David Smith

Up the A9 to a coffee halt at the North Kessock Hotel, just over the bridge at Inverness, then the final blast to John O’Groats stopping off for another photo op at Lybster Harbour which, by 1859 had, with 357 boats, become the third-busiest fishing port in Scotland behind Wick and Fraserburgh.

The final 30 miles were ticked off with the rain becoming heavier and heavier. But a commitment is a commitment. I finally rolled into John O’Groats with the roof still down. Mission accomplished.

Across all 1045-miles, the four generations of the MX-5 never missed a beat, the 30th Anniversary averaged over 45mpg, and by using Sustain’s 100% biofuel, we calculated we had saved around 981kg of CO2.

All though wasn’t perfect. Having put the roof up in the John O’Groats car park, I opened my door. Forgetting completely about the howling gale outside, the door was whisked from my grasp and clattered into the driver’s door of the previously perfect 10th Anniversary model. Result? A small dent. Thankfully it didn’t break the paintwork.

Reassured by the Mazda crew, I enjoyed my bowl of warming hot soup. Then, spotting a brief few moments when the rain eased slightly, we were finally able to take the shot of the four MX-5s at John O’Groat’s famous post to mark our sustainable record.