With the ever increasing price of gasoline, there has been much talk lately, among collectible car owners as to how best to weather these increases.
When my 1965 Thunderbird was new, the average price of (leaded) premium gas was about 32 cents per gallon. Well, leaded premium has now gone the way of 32 cents per gallon gas…into the “Twilight Zone.”
The best way to economically use a collectible car today is to keep it well tuned, for optimal performance. One thing that should not be overlooked in addition to keeping the mechanics of a car well tuned, is to make sure the tires are properly inflated. Poorly inflated tires increase rolling resistance making the car work harder and in turn, less efficiently. In addition, the use of high demand accessories such as air conditioning can also rob a car of its peak economical performance.
The last time I did a fuel mileage check with combined highway and city driving, I found I was averaging 19 mpg. Not bad for a 43 year old Thunderbird with 300 hp. I should note that I kept my highway speeds at 60 mph.
I was asked recently by several people, what economical collectible car I would buy today if I was in the market for one. I told them that first and foremost, I would look for a car that touted itself as economical “back in the day.” A few cars that come to mind include the VW Bug, the Chevrolet Corvair, the Studebaker Lark, the Ford Falcon, the Rambler American and the Chevy Nova. These cars could be had with either a 4 or 6 cylinder engine and while you wouldn’t get breakneck acceleration with any of these, you could at least afford to “tool around” in them without going broke. Also, the cars I just mentioned are easily maintained as most parts are easy to come by.
It a safe bet to say that the collectible car that many of us will be driving in the future, will most likely be an economical one.
