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ddavidv
ddavidv SuperDork
7/30/09 7:57 p.m.

Had a thought the other day...I'm curious what the fuel mileage is on our various classics. I know a lot of them aren't really that impressive but others may be. That information isn't in any of my books, so if you know what yours generally gets, please enlighten. I think good fuel economy encourages use; I know I never mind driving the Mini for several hours because it uses so little fuel. Embarrasing fact: I've never checked the mileage on it.

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
7/30/09 8:08 p.m.

Everyone asks what kind of mileage the Mini gets, but I also have no idea. The Porsche gets 24 easily on the highway.

André Rousseau
André Rousseau Reader
7/30/09 9:20 p.m.

9L per 100KM

A.

Series6
Series6 New Reader
7/30/09 10:53 p.m.

Don't know. Don't care.

It's funny. I whine and complain about the cost of fuel for my daily driver (33 mph/city '09 Civic) but I couldn't care less when it was $4.65+ when I put it in the Alpine.

ditchdigger
ditchdigger Reader
7/30/09 11:31 p.m.

Just did the math today....wait for it...... 46mpg . Driven hard. Photobucket

Tiny carb and 903cc. Fuel injection coming soon. I hope for it to go up.

gblawson
gblawson New Reader
7/31/09 5:07 a.m.

The MGTD gets between 24 and 28, not that I care.....! The Wolseley so far gets 2 years to the tank!

aeronca65t
aeronca65t HalfDork
7/31/09 6:48 a.m.
André Rousseau wrote: 9L per 100KM A.

Wise guy!

My MGB gets about 25 MPG. My old street Spridget would do low 30s.

By the way, my NB Miata gets almost 30.

BrettM
BrettM Reader
7/31/09 7:28 a.m.

The last time I really checked, my modified X1/9 with twin webers got 34 mpg on the way to Detroit and back. Not bad for twin webers. I have heard that stock FI X1/9s can get 36-38 mpg, never confirmed firsthand but I have heard it from multiple sources.

I am getting almost 47 mpg in the 2008 Fiat 500 that I am driving from Lane Motor Museum! That is in combined city driving too!

André Rousseau
André Rousseau Reader
7/31/09 9:04 a.m.

Fine...

26.2 MPG

aeronca65t wrote:
André Rousseau wrote: 9L per 100KM A.
Wise guy! My MGB gets about 25 MPG. My old street Spridget would do low 30s. By the way, my NB Miata gets almost 30.
Coupefan
Coupefan Reader
7/31/09 9:15 a.m.

In reply to BrettM:

Confirmed. My FI X1/9, at least on my daily round trip of city, highway and canyon curving, gets a combined of 32-33 mpg religiously. I do see at least 36 mpg on long distance all freeway trips. Could be better if it wasn't pulling 4000 rpm at 70 mph or so.

rconlon
rconlon Reader
7/31/09 10:21 a.m.

My Fiat Spider 2000 with a performance carb gets low 20's in city-only putting about and 27-29/MPG (US gals) on the highway - very consistantly. My 93 Miata automatic does about 23 city and 30 highway. Both cars would benefit from a taller overdrive and leave the sport driving to the other gears. Would I be interested in a fwd Honda Civic running gearing in a sports car that gets 40 plus mpg. You bet! Fiat take note, the 500 or Panda would make a great platform for a new Pininfarina Spider. I don't race or drift but, I do like to travel in style. Cheers Ron

DneprDave
DneprDave New Reader
7/31/09 2:46 p.m.

My MGs, two Bs and a TD, get around 25 mpg. The Jaguar, an XJ 12-C, gets 17 mpg on the road and 11 in the city, but it goes really fast!

Dave

KaptKaos
KaptKaos Reader
7/31/09 3:52 p.m.

My 914 1.7 with stock FI would get 28-29 pretty regularly, and that was with my foot in it all the time. When I went to a bigger motor with carbs, it dropped to around 20ish.

aeronca65t
aeronca65t HalfDork
7/31/09 4:10 p.m.
André Rousseau wrote: Fine... 26.2 MPG

Thanks!

We don't speak Canadianese down here.

ddavidv
ddavidv SuperDork
7/31/09 9:59 p.m.

I do recall my 1438cc Fiat 124 Spider getting mid-20s. I think it had to work a little hard and the gearing for the highway was not great.

My Audi Coupe GT (1986) with it's 5 cylinder got a surprising 28-32 on trips depending on how I ran it.

My '65 F100 (yeah, not really relevent...) gets an amazing 15 mpg the way I drive it with it's 352 V8. However, one of my truck club geeks has one with a six that returned 24 mpg on a highway trip. Best of all, he paid $500 for the truck.

dougie
dougie Reader
8/1/09 11:50 a.m.

I used to track gas mileage a few years back, more to confirm the motor was running to rich. After everything was sorted I still never get better then 22 on the Hwy, around town forget it. The Big Healey gets real thursty.

Dougie <a href="'67 Beacon Rock">

aeronca65t
aeronca65t HalfDork
8/1/09 1:28 p.m.

Oh yeah, the ~Race Car~ goes about 6 gallons an hour.

Tommy Suddard
Tommy Suddard SonDork
8/1/09 5:19 p.m.

I get a little over 30 in the spit on country roads. It gets crappy highway mileage- no OD.

André Rousseau
André Rousseau Reader
8/1/09 5:39 p.m.

That's not bad means you can do what 3 runs on a 8gal tank?

aeronca65t wrote: Oh yeah, the ~Race Car~ goes about 6 gallons an hour.
dougie
dougie Reader
8/1/09 9:12 p.m.

In reply to aeronca65t:

Niel's is that daylight under that front tire?

Tim Suddard
Tim Suddard Publisher
8/2/09 6:23 a.m.

Our E30 M3 gets 28-31 mpg depending on how hard and fast it is driven. The Spitfire does nearly that and the Tiger, well, let's just say about half that!

André Rousseau
André Rousseau Reader
8/2/09 7:47 a.m.

Yeah well the GT6 can get the milage I listed above, but I've been on the highway before at a good clip in 5th gear and watched the gauge sucking down towards E...

WOT with 2 1 3/4" carbs... Sounds great so its worth it.

Shinsen774
Shinsen774 Reader
8/2/09 7:29 p.m.

Like others noted....my '64 MGB gets 25 mpg pretty reliably tank after tank. It would probably be a little better with the hood up, if I ever put it up. Aerodynamics in an open roadster are not good.

jgp1843
jgp1843 HalfDork
8/2/09 9:22 p.m.

Current newish "classic" (1989 MR2 NA) has averaged 35 mpg over the last 33,000 miles, with lowest at 30 mpg (including a track day) and highest 41 mpg (65 mph trip on secondary roads). I don't do much city driving (no real cities near me!), but I do 20 % on an unpaved road at 25 mph in second/third gear to get from my house to the pavement. The powertrain is stock except for a sport cat and a low-restriction mufler.

Older cars of mine that I remember correctly:

1970 BMW 2002 usually got around 28 mpg highway, around 23 in town.

1963 Corvair averaged around 23 mpg overall, 27 on the highway (it had the rare 3.08 diff only available by special order in 1963, my dad was a gas mileage fanatic).

Just some data for the discussion.

klharper
klharper New Reader
8/3/09 12:09 a.m.

In reply to ddavidv:

Fiat 124 get 29mpg I have a pair of alfa spiders and GTV-6's the mileage varies greatly between the cars. This is mostly due to gearing and set up. One GTV-6 struggles to break 20 the other gets about 24 The spider 28 for the good one and about 24 for the fast one

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