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  1. Five of the best alternative fuel race cars
  2. Audi R10 TDI Le Mans racer
  3. SEAT Leon TDI in the BTCC
  4. Toyota Supra HV-R endurance racer
  5. Steam powered record breaker
  6. Ford Fiesta Sporting Trophy rally car

Toyota Supra HV-R endurance racer

When you think about hybrid cars, you certainly do not envisage the likes of Toyota's Supra HV-R. The driver of this one-off racer has up to 473bhp and 376lb.ft of torque at his disposal, which was enough to sail to victory of the Tokachi 24-Hour Race in July 2007, marking the first ever race victory by a hybrid vehicle.

The HV-R's hybrid system was a little different to the average Prius's though. It employed an electric motor built into each front wheel, as well as one mounted at the rear, which allowed efficient scavenging of the energy usually lost during heavy braking. Toyota also did away with rechargeable batteries, in favour of a quick charging capacitor system, which was more suited to the hard braking and accelerating nature of motorsport. The race car was really just a test bed for the company's technology, so it will be interesting to see if it leads to a hybrid-powered supercar.

Tuesday May 6