82.3 miles per gallon
Ford are at the forefront in the production of very low consumption and therefore low emission vehicles.
Burns decided to try to demonstrate this with their “Economy Challenge”. A competition, open to anyone not directly connected to the Garage, to see who could drive most economically over a prescribed route in the same car.
Last Friday evening saw the culmination of 4 weeks of competitive endeavor. The results of the Burns Economy Challenge were announced at a dinner for all the finalists and their partners.
Hosted by The Directors of the Garage, the Ford Main Dealers in Congleton, and Ann and Robbie Brightwell a very enjoyable evening was had by all, where individual light hearted stories of the run and indeed tips for economical driving were exchanged.
The finalists who attended, Mr. C. Hibbert, Mr. D. Watson, Mr. G Solkow and Mr. G Agar were of course the best of the best and produced some remarkable results. In a very competitive drive-off, the average miles per gallon for the final runs were 77 miles per gallon. The winner however managed to achieve a remarkable 82.3mpg.
Considering that the competition took place during the normal working day, from and to the Canal street Garage and through the normal “Congleton” traffic over a route of 9.3 miles, then the true scale of the achievement can be appreciated.
And the winner was…
Prize of a weekend break for two at the luxury Peak District Hotel of Riverside House Hotel in Ashford Derbyshire was presented to Mr. Garry Agar by Ann Brightwell and the runners up also received a prize.
Asked his secret of success Garry said that in his job as account manager for a major bank he is paid a mileage allowance to cover his fuel costs. Each month he manages, by economical driving, to spend less than he actually receives. He therefore practices his technique all the time he is on the road.
What a long way we have come in terms of the economy of cars produced now to meet the emission demands of the environment. The miles per gallon achieved in this competition are probably double that achieved in 1983 when Ann Brightwell won through to the finals of what was then a National competition run by Ford Motor Company. Another unbelievable statistic. The emission of one Ford Fiesta when they were introduced in 1976 is equivalent to the emissions of 21 new Fiestas.
The vehicle used for this competition was a Ford Ka Zetec diesel. No changes have been made to the car, it is a standard production vehicle. Of course it is available for test drives at the Canal Street showroom.
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