Good Final Figures On 1135-Mile Economy Run

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29058, 21 November 1959, Page 19

Good Final Figures On 1135-Mile Economy Run

After another brilliantly hot day on the journey from Dunedin to Christchurch, the 24 cars competing in the 1959 Mobilgas economy run conclud d their four-day, 1135-mile tour through the South Island yesterday. In some cases the figures achieved on this gruelling run were *he best yet set up in this country, and many of the drivers can look b?ck upon four days of the cheapest motoring they have ever experienced. Otago and Canterbury provided weather which was rivalled only by the first day’s run through Marlborough. As the cars wound their way north from Dunedin after drivers and officials had been roused from their beds at 3.45 a.m. and the first car sent off at 5 a.m., the convoy settled down into a procession which the radio-controlled official cars found easy to chart throughout the whole day. Timaru was reached for breakfast at about 9 a.m., and the cars set off on the last stretch o’ the run to Christchurch at an easy average speed. The last car reached the city timing point at 1.24 p.m. The only incident during yesterday’s run occurred when the Volkswagen of G. C. Palliser and S. R. Young stopped a short distance out of Dunedin. A warning light had begun to glow on the dashboard, and the rear bonnet seals were broken. Nothin® was found at fault in the engine, however, and the car was able to complete the whole journey without being overdue. Diesel Car

The unofficial entry of the Holden diesel has created a

great deal of interest throughout the whole run, and in fact, it not only achieved the lowest fuel consumption figures overall but it also proved the cheapest to operate. Driven by a former chief traffic officer and his son, Messrs J. Ainsworth snr and J. Ainsworth jn.' ( the car had entered the trial as an experiment As the only Holden diesel in the counry, it was out to prove its worth. Mr Ainsworth said last evening that he was exceedingly pleased with the car’s figures for such a tough route. The best figures in the under 1200 c.c. class were achieved by the Standard 10 of E. T. Skews and R. Thomson, of Wellington. With a figure of almost 50 miles a gallon, it headed off a strong challenge from the Volkswagen. Having established a good lead on the first three days, the Blenheim-entered Humber 80 of R. J. Barnes and M. B. Mills averaged 40 miles a gallon and had a good margin over the Ford Consul of R.’ D. Youngman and T. H. Pierce. A dramatic finish was seen in the 1725-2650 c.c. class where the Jaguar 2.4-litre just managed to beat a Holden Special. The Jaguar, driven by G. Rushworth and J. Rushworth, of Christchurch, had a winning margin o' only .one mile a gallon. A Jaguar also won the over 2650 c.c. class —this time the powerful 3.4-litre model of E. Rillstone and H. T. Melhop. It achieved an outstanding figure of 32.107 miles a gallon, which is far ahead of all the other heavy cars and puts th# big American models in the background. Official Results

Official results, as announced by the Association of New Zealand Car

Club stewards last evening, are as follows.—

Class A, up to 1200 c.c.: Standard 10 (E. T. Skews and R. Thomson, Wellington). 49.715 miles a gallon; Volkswagen (G. C. Palliser and S. R. Young, Wellington), 48.004; Morris Minor 1000 (D. J. Le Cren and S. Gay, Nelson), 47.211; Austin A4O (A. G. Wilson and W. N. Morris, Taupo), 45.792; Ford Prefect (L. H. Cromie and F. G. Rickard. Ashburton), 43.139 Class B, 1200-1725 c.c.: Humber 80 (R. J. Barnes and M. B. Mills, Blenheim), 40.001 miles a gallon; Ford Consul (R. D. Youngman and T. H. Pearce, Palmerston North), 38.314; Austin A 55 (J. L. Bell and A. J. Black, Dunedin), 37.728; Morris Oxford V (R. I. Magson and L. L. Stack. Rakaia), 36.895; Singer Gazelle (P. H. Ahradsen and A. R. Adamson. Johnsonville), 36.399; Vauxhall Victor (E. Meredith and E. W. Metcalf. Blenheim), 35.916. Class C, 1725-2650 c.c.: Jaguar 2.4litre (G. Rushworth and J. Rushworth, Christchurch). 36.213 miles a gallon; Holden Special (G. T. Wagg and G. H. B. Worsley, Masterton), 35.277; Standard Vanguard (W. W H. Brown and W. L. Affleck, Invercargill), 31.775; Vauxhall Velox (J. R. Thompson and R. J. McMasters, Auckland), 30.095; Ford Zephyr (J. A. Dibley and T. R. Fairest. Benneydale), 30.004; Rover 90 (T. W. H. Pratt dnd I. D. Lylian, Hamilton). 29.367.

Class D (over 2650 c.c.): Jaguar 3.4-litre (E. Rillstone and H. T. Melhop, Invercargill), 32.107 miles a gallon; Chevrolet Bel Air sixcylinder (I. R. Chalmers and Mrs H. M. Chalmers, Auckland), 25.96; Plymouth Savoy (G. G. McLean and P. J. Thomson (Ashburton), 23.276: Chevrolet Bel Air V 8 (R. Bullock and Mrs K. M. Bullock, Masterton), 22.103; Jaguar Mk 8 (R. Miller and E. R. Irwin, Auckland), 21.923: Ford Custom 300 (K. Jackson and B. Jackson, Alexandra), 20.167. Unofficial entry: Holden diesel. 52.455 miles a gallon.