Terribly slow progress with my 1964 "shortnose" replica... All those projects around me...
Still just a body on wheels.
However, I'm making great progress with improving my eco driving skills on ny 1975 V4 Saab 96. These cars have a 1500cc/63hp 4-stroke V-engine from Ford. Four gears and high revs. Most people get around 7-8 liters per 100 km (35-28 us mpg) from these cars while following the stream like average dead fish. My best result recently is 4,8 l/100km (49 us mpg) through city and highway with 4-5 persons and vacation luggage! I mostly stay below 85 km/h (52 mph).
The old saabs have a wonderful feature, a freewheel, originally put there to save the two-stroke engines from seizure, but they kept the freewheel throughout the 96 model, even with four stroke V4's. The freewheel is a great help both for clutchless gear shifting and for Pulse & Glide driving with engine shut down. I have installed LED lights in front and rear to be easy on the battery. I also have two switches on the shift stick and a "magic" relay box that makes engine stop and start realy easy. I rarely use the brakes, not even in city traffic, except for holding the car still in slopes and behind traffic lights. I get about the same fuel consumption through city as on highway.
No aeromods or engine mods this far. I plan to install an electric radiator fan soon. Since it's the family car and some members are a bit "sensitive" I may find it hard to get approval for the more effective aeromods...
