Save at the pump: Top 10 fuel-sipping classics
By Hagerty
June 01, 2011
The Crosley Hot Shot tops our list of fuel sippers at 48 mpg.
The BMW Isetta gets a whopping 44 mpg.
The Honda S800 gets 42 mpg.
The Fiat 850 Spider returns 38.5 mpg.
The Lotus Elite is a sure bet for savings at 38 mpg.
At 37.5 mpg, the Nash Metropolitan definitely qualifies as a fuel sipper.
The Austin-Healey Sprite returns 36 mpg.
This Morris Minor convertible gets 35 mpg.
The MG Midget gets a respectable 35 mpg.
While this Fiat X1/9 is last on our list, it still gets an impressive 34 mpg.
As gasoline surpasses $4 a gallon in many places, more than a few people are thinking about fuel economy even in their collector cars. A weekend of fun or a long tour can turn mighty expensive in a 12 mpg muscle car. Most of the cars on our list are remarkably frugal and major attention-getters in their own right. Don't believe us? Go to any car show where there's an Isetta and a Ferrari and look at where the crowds stop.
The following is a list of some of our favorites — all are capable of returning well over 30 mpg around town according to contemporary road tests.
- Crosley Hot Shot — 48 mpg
- BMW Isetta — 44 mpg
- Honda S800 — 42 mpg
- Fiat 850 Spider — 38.5 mpg
- Lotus Elite — 38 mpg
- Nash Metropolitan — 37.5 mpg
- Austin-Healey Sprite — 36 mpg
- Morris Minor — 35 mpg
- MG Midget — 35 mpg
- Fiat X1/9 — 34 mpg
Off the list, if cost were no object, we’d probably look for a slightly scruffy but mechanically sound Porsche 356 sunroof coupe. The combination of reliability and practicality is hard to beat at about 30 mpg.
If you want to buy American, the Cosworth example of the much-maligned Chevy Vega is an interesting choice. Sold from 1975-76, only 3,508 were produced. Apparently, there was little demand for a Vega that cost nearly as much as a Corvette. Still, it’s quicker than a BMW 2002tii (although build quality is not in the same universe) and new ones occasionally show up at auctions with almost no miles on them. They also get close to 30 mpg.
Finally, if you’re looking for your favorite Detroit muscle car on the list, you’ll be disappointed: Single-digit gas mileage was the rule when gas was thirty cents a gallon. You will be surprised to discover, though, that Car and Driver magazine reported that the new Corvette is capable of delivering almost 27 mpg in real world driving.