Three thousand, five hundred, and eighty-seven miles per gallon is what you'd call pretty good fuel economy. That's 0.067 L/100kms if you're Canadian, and it's the current record for Shell's Eco-marathon Americas. The event, which will be held over the April 22-24 weekend in Detroit, challenges two dozen teams of university and high school students to go the farthest on the least amount of energy. This year is the tenth anniversary of the challenge, and competitors and attendees will get a chance to meet a dinosaur.
The beast in question is a 1961 Chrysler 300G, which will be on display in the Cobo Center during the Eco-marathon, showcasing just how far we've come in terms of the efficiency of the automobile. Powered by a 6.8L V-8, this legendary Chrysler "letter-car" has big fins, big muscle, vague steering, and not-so-great fuel economy: try 23.5L/100kms.
However, this particular car is a special one in that it's gone the distance. As part of "the Drive home," a marathon cross-country trek run by LeMay America's Car Museum, the '61 Chrysler travelled nearly 5,000 kilometres across America in the dead of winter, arriving in Detroit just in time for January's North American International Auto Show. Along with a 1966 Ford Mustang and a modified 1957 Chevy Nomad, the 300G proved that the classics can still haul the miles in modern times – providing you've got the pockets deep enough to feed them.
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