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> I have a hard time believing any ICE car could acheive 40mpg at LeMans.
I researched that question myself recently, it does sound pretty incredible (as in: not credible). I believe the error comes from MOTOR magazine testing mileage with Imperial gallons, which are 20% larger than US gallons. So how 'bout 30mpg at Le Mans? The Lotus 11 that won the 1957 Index of Performance is alleged to have done slightly better than that with a 750cc motor.
Mind you, the '50s were the last hurrah of streamlined road racing cars (by the early '60s, road racing was all about downforce and horsepower) and that car was aiming specifically at winning the IoP (where fuel economy was the major factor), but still, it couldn't win the IoP if it didn't finish, and to count as a finisher a car had to go at least 70% as far as the overall winner...so they weren't exactly hypermiling.
> I think a modern Minivan would outrun and perhaps out handle it...
The first Lotus 11s weren't all that great handling, but they got better.
> ...as this article here points out
It also points out that they put replica antique tires on the Porsche 356 ("...period-correct 165R15 Michelin XZX tires sourced from Coker Tire...") and upgraded the Honda Minivan with $1100 worth of tires and wheels to improve traction. Putting a set of Goodyear Advantage Fuel Max tires and Drag DR-9 wheels on MAX made it considerably more autocross-friendly.
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