MOTORING NEWS - A team of drivers achieved all-new distance records for petrol and diesel-powered vehicles, showing just how far you can drive on a single tank of fuel.
Both cars used for the exercise relied on Continental ContiSportContact 5 tyres.
With the backing of Continental Tyre, Porsche SA, Volkswagen SA, Total and Car Magazine, the objective of the experienced team of economy aces was to beat their own existing South African one-tank record of 1,941 km, set in 2011 with two VW Golf Bluemotion 1.6 TDI models.
The team comprised Malcolm Kinsey, Con Engelbrecht, Schalk van Heerden, Huibert Phielix, Ken Sink and Rod Kinsey.
Record-breaking fuel economy and distance challenge
Under the close scrutiny of Total Economy Run veteran and motorsport Clerk of the Course, Cobus Grobelaar, the crews began at the South African border with Zimbabwe at Beit Bridge on Friday 22 July, driving a Porsche Panamera 3.0 V6 Diesel and a VW Passat 1.4 TSI.
Record-breaking fuel economy and distance challenge
Under the close scrutiny of Total Economy Run veteran and motorsport Clerk of the Course, Cobus Grobelaar, the crews began at the South African border with Zimbabwe at Beit Bridge on Friday 22 July, driving a Porsche Panamera 3.0 V6 Diesel and a VW Passat 1.4 TSI.
With the fuel tanks brimmed to the very top, the two cars set off along the N1, travelling via Pretoria and Bloemfontein all the way to Cape Town, before heading north up the West Coast.
In order to ensure the validity of the record attempt, the drivers were required to stick to all the normal rules of the road - albeit travelling at a fuel-saving average speed of approximately 69 km/h in the VW Passat, and around 80 km/h in the longer-geared Porsche Panamera.
In order to ensure the validity of the record attempt, the drivers were required to stick to all the normal rules of the road - albeit travelling at a fuel-saving average speed of approximately 69 km/h in the VW Passat, and around 80 km/h in the longer-geared Porsche Panamera.
Other than pumping the ContiSportContact 5 tyres to the maximum recommended pressures in order to reduce rolling resistance, no other changes or modifications were allowed.
