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Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of alternative transportation fuels clearly shows the advantages of reducing the use of non renewable fossil fuels vs. renewable synthetic and biologic novel fuels to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide. Being based on the natural or synthetic recycle of carbon dioxide through the use of renewable energy sources, use of these renewable fuels do not imply depletion of natural resources and is therefore sustainable in the long term. Renewable fuels and advanced internal combustion engines and power-trains are the technologies that in addition to be the most likely to produce benefits in term of carbon balance and fossil fuel saving, are also those that unequivocally have the smallest ecological footprint considering all the environmental implication of transportation technologies. All the other more exotic solutions having much higher environmental costs to produce, use and dispose of alternative transportation technologies.

The paper presents design data and indicated, brake and mean effective pressure results for two successful racing engines developed by FIAT Auto Corse for touring car applications, namely the 690 2.5 liters V6 engine powering the Alfa Romeo 155 car developed for the 1996 International Touring Car (ITC) Championship and the 420 2.0 liters in-line 4 engine powering the Alfa Romeo 156 car developed for the 1998 Campionato Italiano Superturismo. In their first year of life, the sophisticated 690 engine was delivering 500 HP with a revolution limiter of 12000 rpm, while the more conservative 420 engine was delivering 310 HP with a revolution limiter of 8500 rpm. Brake mean effective pressures of these naturally aspirated engines were very close to the maximum achievable values for the racing engine technology of the late nineties, and certainly still a good reference point for development of new racing engines.