Classic Natural Gas Roadster Rocks!

It may be that natural gas vehicles are quite environmentally-friendly, but they aren't generally thought of as being particularly exciting. That mold is being broken in a big way by the PGO Cévennes Turbo-CNG roadster that debuted at the International Auto Salon in Geneva, Switzerland.

Developed by BRA GmbH, PGO Automobiles, and gasmobil, the PGO Cévennes Turbo-CNG is a very faithful replica of a Porsche 356 roadster, last offered in 1965 and one of the all time great Porsche models. It's built using a reinforced fiberglass body on a steel frame and includes an authentic looking interior and instrument panel.

Like the original, the PGO is powered by a four-cylinder engine located in the rear. However, this engine runs on either natural gas or biogas, but not gasoline since it's not a bi-fuel vehicle. The Turbo-CNG engine was optimized for natural gas, thus its 11.0:1 compression ratio.

The 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine is turbocharged to produce 150 hp at 5600 rpm, with maximum torque of 155 lbs-ft at 2300 rpm. The Turbo-CNG has a top speed of 130 mph and can accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds. Unlike the original Porsche 356, the PGO version benefits from more advanced technologies including a 6-speed manual transmission and four-wheel disc brakes.

According to company, the car gets the gasoline equivalent of 56 mph in combined city and highway driving. Carbon dioxide emissions are approximately 118 g/km when operating on natural gas. If only biogas is used, the car can be run CO2-neutral.

The car's natural gas storage tanks hold 22 kilograms of gaseous fuel, sufficient for a range of 280 miles. Refilling in Europe is relatively easy with 770 natural gas stations in Germany, 600 in Italy, 100 in Switzerland, and 90 in Austria. Biogas is growing in popularity and availability in Europe through programs like Biogasmax, which is creating a network of biogas demonstrations starting in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Lille, Rome, and Berne.

BRA GmbH is accepting advance orders for the Turbo-CNG in Germany with an expected price of around $70,000. This is about $10,000 more than a well equipped 2008 Porsche Boxster. There's no word presently on the potential for bringing the Turbo-CNG to U.S. shores.