by Vijay Pattni

This Audi’s full of hot air – all 700bhp of it.

And it huffed and puffed and blew away the bio-gas world speed record by reaching an astonishing 226.6mph.

Boffins at the Community Centre of Excellence in Germany built this modified Audi A4 to run on bio-gas to show the world the power of earth-friendly fire.

The bio-gas in the modded A4 is created from a mixture of methane and other gases generated by the controlled decomposition of grass clippings and sawdust.

Using technological wizadry and a fair amount of smelling salts (methane stinks), the engineers managed to achieve an incredible 700bhp from the Audi’s twin-turbocharged 3-litre V6 engine.

They reckon the engine could produce up to 800bhp but limited the power to save the transmission. Think about it – a green Audi A4 with enough firepower to nuke a Koenigsegg.

Dr Stefan Behrning oversaw the speed test for the organisers and said that “ecology and driving fun are not mutually exclusive.”

Now we’re wondering if they can achieve this phenomenal figure in a run-of-the-mill Audi A4, what could they do to a Lamborghini?

Click below for a larger image of the bio-gas Audi A4:

Video: the Audi A4