So... Who's Winning World's Most Boring Drag Race?
AKA: Which of the world's fastest cars has the best fuel range?
A little over a year ago, I pitted the fastest cars in the world (from the past 100+ years) against each other in the "World's Longest Drag Race." Just now, I decided, as you do, to do the same race, only where the same cars are given one tank of fuel, and an unlimited runway to go as far as they can until they sputter to a stop.
So... picture this same endless runway... and then picture 18 of the world's most glorious automobiles preparing to drive at reasonable speeds for a substantial amount of... this doesn't sound nearly as exciting, but trust me, it will be fun.
Join me as I share the culmination of several hours of useless research!
Disclaimer
While I do enjoy researching these useless factoids, it did prove to be difficult to find fuel economy figures for some of the more obscure cars on the list. I took some liberties, especially on the RUF cars, but I will acknowledge them when they come up.
Also, many of the older cars only had average fuel economy available, so I decided to use that for all cars, even though realistically it would be their highway economy. Furthermore, the fuel economy figures may be slightly inaccurate. I tried to cross-reference as many as I could, so just remember that this is just a fun article, not a graduate thesis.
Oh, and I am a filthy American, so we are using gallons and miles here.
The Rejects
Let's kick this list off with my failures as a researcher.
UNKNOWN POSITION: 2007 SSC Ultimate Aero TT
Much like high-resolution images of the car, the internet seems to be entirely without any fuel capacity specs for the Ultimate Aero. It gets 22.5mpg though, which would have made it a top conteder. Definitely a bummer
Now... Let's jump into it.
There are a few more research failures, but I'll acknowledge them as I go.
Number Eighteen (Maybe): 1983 RUF BTR
This car is so pretty.
Okay. So, starting off this list, again, is another research failure. I couldn't figure out what the fuel tank size was. However, I have one trillion IQ, so I assumed that the 1983 911 has the same sized fuel tank, so I rolled with that.
That being said, the RUF BTR gets a polar bear friendly 7.6 MPG. With its (theoretical) 21 gallon fuel tank, it sputters to a stop around the 159-mile mark.
Number Seventeen: 2017 Koenigsegg Agera RS
Turns out the fastest car in the world isn't so fuel-efficient.
With an average MPG of 13 and an 18-gallon fuel tank, the Egg waves the white flag at the 234-mile mark.
Number Sixteen (Maybe): 1987 RUF CTR Yellowbird
Again, I could not find the fuel tank size for the RUF, so I used the 1987 911's fuel tank as reference.
With said 22.5 gallon tank and the Yellowbird's eyewatering 11 MPG, it conks out at 247.5 miles.
Number Fifteen: 1967 Lamborghini Miura P400
Ain't it purdy?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, late 60s Italian V12s weren't so fuel-efficient, judging by the Miura's average of 11 MPG. If you combine that with its 23.8-gallon fuel tank, you'll find that it barely makes it past the Yellowbird and dies at 261.58 miles.
Number Fourteen: 2005 Bugatti Veyron
For some reason, all of the text under this one got deleted.
The Veyron gets 10 MPG and has a 26.4-gallon tank, allowing it to go 264 miles total.
Number Thirteen: 1949 Jaguar XK120
We have reached the oldest car on this list quite a lot later than I personally expected.
It makes it 288.75 miles, thanks to its 17.5-gallon fuel tank, and its respectable 16.5 MPG.
Number Twelve: 2004 Koenigsegg CCR
I'm going to go on the record here and just publically state that Koenigseggs are my favorite. They are so sick.
Anyway, this particular Koenigsegg gets 13.8 MPG and has a 21.1-gallon fuel tank. These numbers multiply together and come out to 291.18 miles, which is a distance.
Number Eleven: 1965 Shelby 427 AC Cobra
Just BARELY edging out the Koenigsegg, only a few miles up the runway, is the Cobra. It made it 295.2 miles, thanks to its 18-gallon tank and surprising 16.4 miles per gallon.
Number Ten: 2010 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport
Captain slow is inside. Probably should have worded that differently.
I honestly forget if Super Sport is one or two words, so we are going with two.
The Super Sport has the same size tank as the older Veyron, but the slightly improved fuel economy (11.6 MPG) allows it to go 306.24 miles.
Number Nine: 1969 Lamborghini Miura P400S
Woah, another Miura! Turns out, that in two years, the Italians were able to improve the fuel economy by 2.1 miles per gallon, bringing the total up to 13.1 MPG, and with the same fuel tank, the Miura goes 311.78 miles.
Number Eight: 1963 Iso Grifo GL 365
I'm going to be real with you all. I have written two articles now that have featured this car, and I still know absolutely nothing about it. But hey, eighth place is pretty good!
Grifo goes 327.36 miles on a single tank, owing to its 12.4 MPG and surprisingly large 26.4-gallon fuel tank.
Number Seven: 1959 Aston Martin DB4 GT
I adore this car.
For the next few lines, we are going to pretend that James Bond drove one of these instead of the DB5.
Okay?
Okay.
007 made it a respectable 335.16 miles after getting 14.7 miles per gallon out of the 22.8-gallon fuel tank.
Number Six: 1993 McLaren F1
Proof that money can buy happiness?
I think it is pretty normal to idolize this car. It is definitely one of my personal "unicorn cars" that'd make my year to even be able to see in-person. Just something about the rarity, the performance, the---
Sorry, I lost my train of thought.
Where was I?
Oh, right. It goes 361.76 miles on its 23.8-gallon tank and 15.2 MPG fuel consumption.
Number Five: 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL
For some reason, all of the cars I idolize are popping up together. But alas, I will not go on another tangent.
The Gullwing manages 369.6 miles on its 26.4-gallon tank. It used one of its precious gallons every 14 miles.
Number Four: 1982 Lamborghini Countach LP500S
This one surprised me.
It made it 386.74 miles, burning a gallon of fuel every 12.2 miles, which isn't so great, but it has a massive 31.7-gallon fuel tank to make up for it.
Number Three: 1968 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona
Just shy of the big 400-mile mark is the 365. It made it 395.46 miles. It is another car with poor fuel economy (11.7 MPG) that is aided by an absurdly large fuel tank (33.8 gallons).
However, as I wrote this, I did a little more digging and found 3 more tank sizes. So, take this one with a grain of salt, because it is probably wrong.
Number Two: 1986 Porsche 959
Very fun fact: I have a model of this car on my desk.
We are well into the 400s now. The 959 has the best fuel economy in the race (18.8 MPG) and a sizable tank (23.8). These two numbers join together to become a much bigger number, which is 447.44 miles.
Number One (Highly-Doubtful): 1954 Jaguar D Type
What would #1 be without a share of controversy? ALLEGEDLY the Jaguar D Type has a 44.4-gallon fuel tank. I really really really really really doubt this. To be honest, this car alone has made me doubt every other figure that I have included in this article.
If by some bizarre chance this car has an absolutely gargantuan fuel tank, it blows the others out of the water by reaching 683.76 miles thanks to its 15.4 MPG.
I doubt this one is right, and I'm sure you all will agree.
The REAL Number One: 1975 850cc Reliant Robin
You didn't think I would forget the greatest car ever made, did you? No fast car/ racing list would be complete without it.
The Reliant Robin goes nearly 500 miles on a tank, thanks to its absurdly good fuel economy.
Yeah, that's pretty much all I've got.
Thank you for reading!
If you made it this far, why not give me a follow? Hopefully, this article isn't completely ruined by blatant factual errors.
Check out the previous installment of the World's Longest Drag Race!
Sources and such
hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/agerarsnevadahsr-pk-6-1510069999.jpg
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/SSC_Ultimate_Aero_TT_-_1.jpg
www.wallpaperup.com/776736/1983_Ruf_BTR_930_porsche_supercar.html
www.ultimatecarpage.com/images/car/238/Lamborghini-Miura-P400-3514.jpg
www.bugatti.com/fileadmin/_processed_/sei/p508/se-image-d8ec9f002d4479710b27e3a827d8615a.jpg
www.jaguarheritage.com/uploads/1953-Jaguar-XK120-OOF-748-1152w-x-504h-1024x448.jpg
www.koenigsegg.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/ccr_header-1600x900.jpg
assets.hemmings.com/uimage/71450074-770-0@2X.jpg?rev=1
www.carscoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/212b6084-james-may-bugatti-1024x555.jpg
cdn1.mecum.com/auctions/ca0815/ca0815-219862/images/ca0815-219862_3@2x.jpg?1439593044000
i.ytimg.com/vi/tj2x_Jwlb3Y/maxresdefault.jpg
www.carscoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/1984-Lamborghini-Countach-2-1024x555.jpg
images.hgmsites.net/hug/1972-ferrari-365-gtb-4-daytona_100712971_h.jpg
www.sportscarmarket.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/1955-jaguar-d-type-sportracer-drivers-front.jpg
hips.hearstapps.com/roa.h-cdn.co/assets/16/02/1452787848-reliant.gif
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Comments (8)
Tesla Model S P100D long range
Very interesting article
Thank you!
I was surprised how badly the modern cars did.