Friday, September 21, 2007

Porsche's carbon tire-print and Eco-Mansions

CNN Money goes all Robb Report on a couple stories
(I like the sub-head on the first story, see below for an answer to the question posed):

The luxury sports car maker's 911 comes in red, black and yellow.
But does it come in green?

... Porsche is worried that its status as a preeminent sports car maker could be regulated out of existence.

...Current fuel economy rules now being considered don't make exceptions for high-performance cars or for companies that sell nothing but those vehicles.

Tighter Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) rules in the U.S. would be a hurdle for an auto maker like General Motors, but a company of GM's size and breadth has options.

GM could try to improve the fuel economy of all its cars.It's boosted the fuel economy of its large SUVs, but it could also work to sell more small, inherently fuel-efficient cars, like the Chevrolet Aveo, to offset sales of vehicles like the Chevrolet Corvette and GMC Yukon and boost its average.

Porsche, on the other hand, has no economy cars in its fleet to compensate. Nor will it, because cars like that just aren't what Porsche is about and never will be...MORE


And
Live the good life in a green mansion
As demand grows, multi-million mansions that are both indulgent and eco-friendly emerge.


After 20 years of building multi-million-dollar mega-mansions, real estate developer Frank McKinney is betting $29 million that what luxury home buyers want now are environmentally friendly estates.

His speculative 15,000 square foot mansion in Manalapan, Fla., will be the first home of its size to be certified green by the U.S. Green Building Council and the Florida Green Building Council.


In addition to eight bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, two elevators, two laundry rooms, two wine cellars (one for red, one white), a movie theater and guesthouse, the house will also have a state-of-the-art air purification system and eco-friendly light fixtures that will reduce energy consumption by 90 percent.

Making this mansion green, probably tacked on additional costs of between 7 and 10 percent for McKinney and, ultimately, his buyer. It also required him to explore using different materials than he normally might.

For instance, instead of using a rare Brazilian cherry for the home's hardwood floors, he's using reclaimed teak -- thus sparing 7.5 acres of Brazilian rain forest, he said.

The house will also have a massive solar panel system (price tag: $120,000), a water system that uses "gray water" from the showers and sinks to irrigate the lawn and gardens, as well as a series of pools, reflecting ponds and water gardens to cool down the 1.5 acre property by 2 to 3 degrees

....MORE

The answer to the green cars question?
I know it's not eco-verde but my first thought is BRG:

1967 Jaguar Mk2 in British Racing green with Chrome wire wheels and spinners. This car has pale green leather upholstory. A really lovely looking (and sounding car!)

user posted image


Trooping the Colors