2005 Mercury Mariner Luxury on 2040-cars

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Ford finds flex-fuel engine design plays big role in emissions output

How bad is ethanol for your engine? There's been a lot of debate on this issue as the US considers upping the biofuel content in the national gasoline supply from 10 percent (E10) to 15 percent (E15). The ethanol industry and some scientists say higher ethanol blends show no "meaningful differences" in new engines while the oil industry says ethanol creates health risks. Researchers working at the Ford Research and Innovation Center decided to take a closer look at how a wide range of gas-ethanol blends - E0, E10, E20, E30, E40, E55 and E80 - affected the emissions coming out of a flex-fuel 2006 Mercury Grand Marquis. To see the full report, printed in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, requires payment, but there is an abstract and Green Car Congress has some more details. The gist is that, "with increasing ethanol content in the fuel, the tailpipe emissions of ethanol, acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, methane, and ammonia increased." At least NOx and NMHC emissions decreased. The researchers say that the effects are due to the fuel and "are expected for all FFVs," but that the way that a manufacturer calibrates the engine will affect NOx, THC, and NMOG emissions. It's this last bit that's important, since the researchers found, "Higher ethanol content in gasoline affects several fundamental fuel properties that can impact emissions. ... These changes can have positive or negative effects that can depend on engine design, hardware, and control strategy. In addition to direct emissions impacts, higher ethanol content fuel can also provide more efficient combustion and overall engine operation under part-load conditions and under knock-limited higher-load conditions." So, as we head towards more ethanol in our fuel supply (maybe), manufacturers are going to need to learn how to burn it most efficiently.

The AM37 is literally the Aston Martin of boats

While sports car companies such as Porsche and Lamborghini are looking to SUVs to expand their offerings, Aston Martin has taken a page from Mercedes and designed a boat. Specifically, it's a 37-foot powerboat appropriately named the AM37. The boat was developed with help from Mulder Design and Quintessence Yachts, and is available in two different versions, both of which should the aquatic equivalent of Aston Martin performance. The standard AM37 is available with two different pairs of engines from Mercury, either 370-horsepower diesel engines or 450-horsepower gas engines. If that's not enough, Aston also offers the AM37S, which comes with a pair of 520-horsepower gasoline Mercury engines. Like road-going Astons, this boat is absolutely gorgeous. The lines are simple, crisp and clean. It features a beautiful wood deck, and an impressive double-curved, single-piece glass windshield. And if you get tired of the sun, the AM37 features a powered, carbon fiber bimini top. The interior completes the package with a carbon fiber dashboard, lots of leather and polished steering wheel, throttle and joystick. It's also incredibly well-equipped with seating for eight, air conditioning, mood lighting, refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, a bed that folds out from the table, and even a bathroom. Aston Martin didn't release pricing or availability for the AM37. However, we suspect that if you really want this boat and have the means, pricing doesn't matter, and you're probably willing to wait. Related Video: Image Credit: Aston Martin Auto News Aston Martin Mercury Luxury boat

Translogic drives wood-burning Mercury Beaver XR-7

You read the title right, we're talking about the Mercury Beaver XR-7. No, Mercury never officially built a car called the beaver. This is the brainchild of upstate New Yorker Chip Beam, who owns and operates Beaver Energy, LLC. It runs on gases created by wood pellets fermented in a 2,400-degree furnace and fed to a supercharged Ford 4.6-liter V8.
By all accounts, it gets down the road just fine, and has pretty close to full power. The best part is, you can grow the fuel yourself and avoid patronizing big oil, if that's your thing. The only drawback that we can see to the Mercury Beaver XR-7 is the PVC pipe jungle occupying the space that would be the trunk under normal circumstances.
Still, if you're willing to smell like a mountain man and look like a bad Back to the Future knockoff, this ride is right up your alley. Click past the jump to see Translogic's take on this modified Merc.