Ferrari buys 'green' Motorhome.

Making its debut at the European Grand Prix, Ferrari's new Media bus blends in well with the Prancing Horse's two other motorhomes (pictured), sharing their predominantly red livery. However, a logo on the new vehicle gives a big clue as to its innovative construction and the philosophy that inspired it.

The Mobius Loop is the internationally recognised sign, indicating that whatever it is attached to is either made of recycled material or that the product is recyclable. Both Ferrari and principal F1 partner Philip Morris are committed to using recyclable materials in building and this new vehicle is an important and tangible example of what can be done in practical terms.

By building this bus, Ferrari, in conjunction with Philip Morris, wanted to do more than just pay lip service to environmental concerns. They also wanted to show that a vehicle of this type can fit in perfectly with Formula One's clean, cool and high-tech image.

Scratch beneath the surface, the vehicle's Eco- credentials can be found in every aspect of its build, starting with the body itself. Made of aluminium, steel, wood and glass on a steel chassis, more than 95% of it is recyclable. Even the glue used in construction is a special Eco- friendly product. Glass being one of the most recyclable materials on the planet, it is used extensively, with the bus boasting a bigger window area than usual. In the interests of energy saving, it is double glazed, with automatically adjusting blinds inserted between the two layers.

This means the essential air-conditioning units, themselves built specifically for the vehicle, do not have to work so hard, while the generator which powers them, as well as all the other ancillary equipment is the first to meet the latest stringent Euro 3 Exhaust Emission Regulations, as does the tractor unit engine. While solar panels are part of the specification, rain and dark skies are a regular scenario on the grand prix calendar, hence the need for a powerful generator. But for those baking hot days, the on-board air-conditioning can also be piped out to the awning.

The bus is slightly longer than the one it replaces, as the kitchen area, all kitted out in stainless steel, is built into the bus, whereas it used to sit behind the old vehicle in a separate trailer. That makes for better working conditions for the catering staff and highlights another important element in the bus' design philosophy: not only is it Eco friendly, it is also user friendly.

The ergonomics of the interior and exterior have been carefully thought out to ensure that on-site assembly and pull-down are as painless as possible. This attention to detail can be seen in the self-levelling system which means the stabilising legs find their right height, no matter how irregular the paddock floor, to the fact that the wooden flooring for the awning area, always a heavy item to manhandle into place, nestles in lockers near to the ground on the side of the bus.

The process of erecting the awning area, which hosts the media guests and can be used for press conferences, has also been simplified. The solid ends are permanently attached to the outside of the bus and can simply be swung out into place and the awning hung off them. The awning is double skinned to better reflect the heat and trap cooler air inside. The ends also house all the cabling, which can be stripped and recycled, for the low emission TV screens, which, once the bus is set up, just have to be hung in place and connected to the power supply.

Despite the complexity of the project and the challenge of sourcing all the recyclable materials used in its construction, the bus was completed in the relatively short time of 26 weeks. The vehicle was built in Frating, Essex, UK by A. Smith (Gt. Bentley Ltd.) a firm which specialises in one-offs and is best known for producing outside broadcast vehicles for television companies. The project was managed by Procar International Ltd., who were also responsible for the other two motorhome-type facilities in the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro fleet. Tasked with the design of the interior and the awning area was Italian designer Francesco Carboncini, who worked to a brief supplied by Ferrari and Philip Morris.

The guidelines were straightforward: the look had to reflect the Eco- friendly theme of the bus, while maintaining a high level of practicality for the team's media department and the staff who run the facility. The biggest challenge he faced was in sourcing and using reconstituted materials, some of them very basic, in a tasteful way, which would be totally in keeping with Ferrari's and Formula One's emphasis on modern, high-tech aesthetics.

Inside, the bus is split into four main areas: an office for the team press officer, a working area for other staff, including all the usual paraphernalia connected with the communications business - computers and servers, a photocopier and fax, phone lines and storage space. To the other side of the central door is an interview room where the drivers can be grilled by journalists and TV crews and further back is an area used by the photographers who provide all the images for the team's media office and its archives.

Running the length of the bus, the flooring is made from recycled car tyres, flecked with red sports flooring. Looking up, the ceiling is made of aluminium strips, covered with recyclable polyester, while the wallcoverings are a mixture of low grade wood, paper and polished aluminium. A quick glance at the desk tops and one might think they were made of some expensive form of mosaic. In fact, the surface has far more humble origins, fashioned from compressed milk bottle tops and other containers.

Practicality has not been forgotten as most of the interior fittings are of modular construction and therefore easily detachable. For example, it is only the work of a moment to convert the working area, with a desk that runs half the length of the bus, into a meeting room with a central table. Similarly, the dining section under the awning can rapidly be transformed into a press conference area. The tasteful lighting is a brand new low consumption system and will back up the solar- powered lights, while the finishing touch comes courtesy of a series of black and white images showing Ferrari cars in unusual settings. Floral displays have long been used to add a homely touch and break up the somewhat austere atmosphere of a grand prix paddock and even here, the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro bus shows off its Eco credentials, with pots of bamboo canes rather than cut flowers.

The concept behind the new bus has also prompted Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro to look more closely at other ways of promoting the Eco friendly ethos. It is planned to recycle aluminium soft drinks cans used on the team's units, to use paper plates and avoid polystyrene cups and if real crockery is used it should be washed with detergent that does not harm the environment. Ferrari and Philip Morris are not making any extravagant claims about this vehicle, as much of it is still built with conventional methods and materials, because it has to provide an efficient work place for the media department, operating in a very high-tech environment. However, there is no doubt that it will use less energy and be more suitable for recycling than the one it replaces