Meet the Aston Martin Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S, a new racing car which is set to become the first hydrogen-powered car to compete in a competitive racing event when it makes its debut at the Nurburgring 24-hour race next month.
But unlike most hydrogen vehicles, the Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S is fitted with a modified version of the 6.0-litre Aston Martin V12 fitted to the standard Rapide.
So that's a hydrogen-powered racing car with a V12 engine. Confused? Let us explain.
Whereas most hydrogen cars use a fuel cell to convert the raw power of the gas into propulsion, the Rapide burns its hydrogen is its engine. It's a less efficient way of extracting the energy from hydrogen, but it still massively reduces the car's carbon footprint.
Working in partnership with hydrogen experts Alset Global, the boffins at Aston Martin have bolted a brace of turbochargers and a new fuel rail to the standard Rapide's V12 engine and have added four carbon-fibre tanks which can hold a total of 3.5kg of hydrogen at a pressure of 350bar.
The Rapide's engine can run on hydrogen, petrol or a combination of the two.
Aston has not revealed any performance figures, but expect the Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S to be considerably faster than the standard car which, with 555bhp and a 0-62mph time of 4.9 seconds, is no slouch either.
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