From 1936 to 1968, the annual Mobil Economy Run was a grand publicity engine for the Motor City’s car makers. Here’s a film report on the 1954 edition.

Staged under various rules and formats from 1936 through 1968, the old Mobil Economy Runs were a media bonanza for the automakers. These were organized fuel economy contests, of course, run over a specified course and time with supervision by officials of the AAA Contest Board and its successor, USAC. Here was one form of motor sport where the economy car producers like Nash and Studebaker had something to crow about, while the event organizers included enough classes and categories in the competition so that most every manufacturer could claim some sort of victory.

The automakers returned the favor by publicizing the competition in their generous ad buys in the workbench magazines of the day, including Popular Science and Mechanix Illustrated, and in local newspapers across the country. This well-preserved little 1954 film, originally produced by the National Association of Manufacturers, nicely captures the the character and challenges of the event while diplomatically avoiding any mention of winners and losers.

Just for the record, we’ll note that a Studebaker Champion recorded the lowest overall fuel consumption that year at 29.58 mpg, thanks no doubt to its thrifty 169.6 CID flathead six, which produced a modest 85 hp. Meanwhile, a big Lincoln V8 with 205 hp turned in the best mpg-per-ton performance at 66.40 ton-mpg. (The ton-mpg calculation gave the luxury brands something to talk about.) You know, that’s not too shabby for carburetors, breaker points, and a snowstorm in the Sierra Nevada, which required the competitors to mount their tire chains. Video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcGZWcubvsk