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Craig Henderson's Canada to Mexico Drive on One Tank of Gas Sets World Record

by Amar Toor on September 4, 2010 at 05:00 PM

the avion car
A guy named Craig Henderson recently drove from Canada to Mexico in a car that got a Guinness World record-breaking 119.1 miles-per-gallon. More impressive, though, is the fact that he never once had to stop to refuel. That's right, Henderson made it all the way from Blaine, Washington to Chulla Vista, Mexico on just one tank of gas, and consumed just 12.4 gallons of diesel along the 1,384-mile trip. Oh yeah, and the car was constructed in 1984.

As Jalopnik explains, Henderson originally designed the car with his partner, Bill Green, as a prototype he hoped to sell. Their commercial aspirations never panned out, but Henderson continued to improve the Avion, fine-tuning its specs with careful attention to weight and aerodynamics. Thanks to its aluminum monocoque frame, the Avion weighs in at just 1500 pounds, and its sleek, aerodynamic body is crafted from carbon, kevlar and fiberglass. As a result, the Avion needs only 3-4 horsepower to maintain a 55 mile-per-hour speed, while a set of Goodyear-sponsored, low rolling resistance 'Fuel Max' tires helps extend its mileage even further.

Even after having completed this border-to-border feat, Henderson isn't done tinkering with his creation. The roadster is still pursuing his dream of producing the Avion on a larger scale. And, judging from this recent accomplishment, he probably won't have a hard time finding interested buyers.

Tags: auto, avion, canada, car, cars, Craig Henderson, CraigHenderson, drive, Driving, fuel, fuel economy, fuel efficiency, FuelEconomy, FuelEfficiency, prototype, top, world record, world records, WorldRecord, WorldRecords

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