You probably won’t believe 33-1/3 mpg from a V8
Barracuda either. But by pumping the tires up to 40
psi and driving 40 mph across Kansas…..
Yes, I’m perfectly willing to swear on a stack of
Bibles. Let’s see, 273 CID (that’s about 4-1/2
liters), 8.8:1 compression ratio (I think it would
have run on kerosene, although I never tried it),
2.93:1 axle ratio (that ratio seems very high until
you realize that the max torque speed was 1600 rpm and
the thing had a Torque Flight automatic). When I
filled up, I pumped until a little bit ran out so no,
it wasn’t because there was more fuel in it at the
beginning of the run than I put in a the end.
I don’t know whether it was before or after I did
that run, I was thinking of entering the Barracuda in
a rally, so I took it to a Fish Carburetor station
equipped with a dyno (dynamometer) and exhaust-gas
analyzer. When they gave me the printout from the
equipment, the numbers, of course, didn’t mean
anything to someone with out an engineering degree or
training in the use of that specific equipment. So I
asked them whether there were any adjustments they
would recommend in order for the Barracuda to run at
its most efficient. I’ll never forget the answer:
“There is definitely something wrong with that car!
It isn’t supposed to be able to run that efficiently.
Whatever you do, don’t let anyone change a thing!”
If you are interested, I can also tell you about the
time I ran that same Barracuda on the Mile High drag
strip in Denver. But I have probably already
stretched your credulity.



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