Victory for the Heavies

The bigger and heavier cars took honors last week in the 1958 Mobilgas Economy Run. For the second straight year, Chrysler dominated the field, winning top honors in three of the four classes v. last year's clean sweep.

After a four-day, 1,883-mile trip from Los Angeles to Galveston, Texas, the trophy for the best mileage among 29 cars went to Chrysler's Imperial Crown, driven by Mel Alsbury Jr., 28, a three-time winner. The average of his Imperial, which also won in the high-price class: 62.7188 ton miles per gallon (computed by multiplying the car's weight by the number of miles per gallon).

More notable was the performance of the Chrysler New Yorker, driven by Alsbury's brother George, 21. It not only took second place in the overall run and first in the upper-medium-price class, but it showed the best performance of all cars in straight mileage. The New Yorker, eighth heaviest car in the race, averaged 21.0217 miles per gallon to beat out all cars in every class, including the smaller and lighter cars.

Few ordinary drivers can expect to get the same mileage as the cars in the run; most are not so highly tuned or so skillfully driven. Otherwise, the models are stock cars, all with automatic shifts. The placings, selected on the basis of ton miles per gallon and the cars' actual mileage:

Low-Price Class. Plymouth Belvedere, 20.0088 m.p.g.; Plymouth Belvedere, 19.9897; Chevrolet Delray, 20.6441; Ford Fairlane, 19.7775; Ford Custom 6, 20.8870; Chevrolet Bel Air, 18.7284; Chevrolet Impala, 17.1787.

Low-Medium-Price Class. Oldsmobile 88, 19.2377; De Soto Firedome, 18.9471; Edsel Pacer, 19.2518; Pontiac Super Chief, 18.8017; Edsel Pacer, 19.0052; Mercury Montclair, 18.1621; Buick Special. 16.9445; Dodge Custom Royal 500, 17.8137; Dodge Custom Royal 500, 17.5490; Studebaker President, 19.2608.

Upper-Medium-Price Class. Chrysler New Yorker, 21.0217; De Soto Fireflite, 19.6573; Mercury Turnpike Cruiser, 18.8390; Mercury Park Lane, 17.4186; Oldsmobile 98, 17.4849; Buick Century, 17.6698; Edsel Citation, 17.2474; De Soto Fireflite, 18.2869.

High-Price Class. Chrysler Imperial Crown, 20.5821; Lincoln Continental, 18.0737; Lincoln Continental, 17.9628; Buick Roadmaster, 17.4024.

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