Jalopnik (Enlarge photo)

Everyone was pretty impressed by the Aston Martins driving from Panama to Alaska , but we must assume that rally was loaded with top-flight mechanics equipped with the correct tools . How would you feel about buying a Lotus Europa in San Francisco, hopping in, and driving straight to Alabama- across mountains and desert in the height of summer, with room for only a couple of hammers in the toolkit, no less? Reader Matt has done just that, and he's been kind enough to send us photos and a well-written description of his adventure. Jump, jump! [Picasaweb]

July 1st my dad and I bailed out of a visiting with my grandmother in Kansas and flew out to San Francisco to buy my dream car - a Lotus Europa. I had been lusting over these cars for about a year and half. Race car suspension? Check.... // Jalopnik

Inhabitat (Enlarge photo)

Lifecycle was the key word for Lotus. It wasn’t content with just looking at the CO2 emissions of the vehicle’s operation. It looked at the emissions that the vehicle generated and at the emissions that the manufacturing of the vehicle generated. It made sure to select green materials, and even went as far as ensuring that the transportation of the hemp fibers involved as few carbon miles as possible.

The traditional carbon fiber is gone, to be replaced with a hemp composite material that is used throughout the body... // Inhabitat