John is a Ford technical expert in fuel economy, but being forced to work under the constraints of government regulation is stifling. As such, John wanted to work on something a bit more unique. Enter the HyperRocket, a bullet-shaped three wheeler that can squeeze 125 MPG out of a tank of gas. The concept is simple enough, and not altogether unprecedented. Take the 250cc four stroke two-cylinder motor and transmission out of a Kawasaki Ninja, drop it in a lightweight, tandem seat chassis, add in some aerodynamic bodywork, and with a little work you get a super high mileage roadster.

According to John, the HyperRocket can achieve 105 MPG at 65 MPH when equipped with the wider tires and open canopy top, but drop on the narrow motorcycle tires and bubble top and the coefficient of drag drops to 0.16 and the miles jumps to 125 MPG at 65 MPH. On top of that it actually looks pretty cool. Not too shabby if you ask us. The HyperRocket is on eBay right now with a rather stiff $15,600 starting bid. Why? John's making room for the next iteration: a plug-in hybrid. [EcoModder, eBay Listing]

Over a 402-mile route that included country and city roads in addition to the Autobahn, they averaged 52 MPH, with a top speed of 81 MPH. That sounds an awful lot more fun than I had driving 20 MPH in a Ford Fusion Hybrid.

The trick was to keep the 911’s engine at its most efficient point: between 1,800 and 2,000 RPM. The test was intended to promote supposedly fuel saving new technologies like direct injection and the new dual-clutch transmission. But, since the 911 already averages 24 MPG (US) in the European combined cycle, what this really highlights is the effect driver behavior has on fuel economy.

As drivers seek to achieve better fuel economy from their vehicles, car manufacturers are finally beginning to promote the advantages of efficient driving behavior. In Porsche’s case, this means a publicity stunt, but manufacturers like Ford and Honda are starting to equip their more efficient models with instrumentation that instructs drivers on fuel efficient behavior, then rewards them for achieving good economy. [via MotorAuthority]

The couple is now holder of the new Guinness World Record for least amount of fuel used while visiting all 48 contiguous states. The numbers break down as: 3.99L/100KM, 11.04 tanks of diesel costing a total of $653.06, 853 miles per average tank, 6.9 cents per mile, 9,419 miles driven. That’s damn impressive especially since there’s not a hybrid badge in sight. [Fuel Academy via Autoblog]

Actually, the car was stock. Stock as in standard, from the factory, without any modifications besides the sponsors' stickers. That is, unless you count the extra weight of the couple's luggage as a modification. But that 90 MPG figure is in Imperial gallons. In US gallons, the figure is just 75.6 MPG. Still, it's figures like this that make us scratch our heads and wonder what all the fuss of government-mandated fuel economy standards, panic of rising gas prices, and hybrid hippie hype is all about. If things were really as bad as they're often made out to be, couldn't we all just be driving 90 MPG 75 MPG French hatchbacks? Or are those Freedom hatchbacks? Oh, wait — you have to drive under 30 MPH the entire way? Well, screw that noise. Pass me the keys to the Hummer.
[ABG via TreeHugger]

Day 1 Ford GT
Sure the Ford GT hits peak horsepower at 6,500 rpm, but you haven't lived until you've spent an hour-and-a-half behind the wheel at 600 rpm! Unfortunately for the GT (and my sanity), leaving Manhattan on Saturday evening meant stop and go all the way from Houston Street to the George Washington Bridge. What was most impressive was how much driving could be done without touching the gas pedal.

The GTs relentless low-end torque was plenty happy to get the GT moving at 500 rpm with little hesitation and no sign of stalling. Once it got back up to a 900-rpm idle I could drop in the next gear and repeat, getting up to 30 mph or so before requiring additional throttle input. As congestion eased, the best technique for fuel economy was to borrow what the GM engineers worked out for the Corvette Z06 — give it just a pinch of gas, and skip across the gearbox from first to fourth to sixth. In sixth at 55 mph, the GT's 5.4-liter V8 chugs along at a meager 1,200 rpm. The result? 17 mpg! I was hoping for 20+, but considering that 15 of the 30 miles I covered took 90 minutes, mostly stopped and idling, I have to hand to this American brute for teatotaling. Apparently, I'm not the first to put the Ford GT through a fuel sipping test. On May 14, 2007, during an economy driving contest , Icelandic Ford dealership employee Gísli Jón Bjarnason achieved 20.8 mpg when he took a Ford GT through hilly terrain around Reykjavik.

Tomorrow's the F430, hopefully this prancing horse doesn't have the same appetite for petrol that it's makers have for Chianti! – Zac Moseley

When we had our old Acura Legend, we were addicted to its fuel-economy display. We generally averaged around 21 mpg, which included a 33-mile Walnut Creek-to-San Francisco commute that was 2/3 open freeway and 1/3 brutal congestion (hello, MacArthur Maze and Bay Bridge). On a trip from Portland back down the East Bay, we were running low on gasoline coming down out of the Cascades. The meter showed that we were gaining miles to empty, prompting our friend Brett to exclaim, "This is the best car ever! It actually makes gas!" Wayne Gedes also got hooked on eking fuel economy out of an Acura — in this case, his wife's MDX.

And post-9/11, he made a commitment to use as little fuel as possible, exploring techniques and acronyms that have earned him the title "King of the Hypermilers." We've been known to compare our hairball run from Ozona, TX to Sacramento, CA in an overloaded Durango with a misfire towing an improperly-loaded trailer as some sort of low-speed 24 Heueres du Mans. At one point, we planned to fill up in a town where all of the gas stations were closed. And then we had to climb a mountain. Our tags were out of date, so if a cop pulled over to assist, we were toast. The trailer was our only shield. We had to make it to the top of the mountain, where sweet, nourishing petroleum and caffeine awaited us. And we did, just barely. But it was literally 20 minutes of the most nail-biting, sign-of-the-cross-making, RPM-counting, Blarney-stone tonguing, rabbit-rabbit-on-the-first driving we've ever done. And we've engaged in some rather hairball extralegal stuff over the years.

Hypermiling is all about strategery. And according to this bit in Mother Jones, nobody's better at it than Wayne. We doff our cap to his brilliant 180mpg performance. [Thanks to the Mighty Thnderblt for the tip.] – Davey G. Johnson

This Guy Can Get 59 MPG in a Plain Old Accord. Beat That, Punk [Mother Jones]

Related:
Honda Accord Hybrid Gets Price Increase, Mileage Decrease [Internal]