7 of the worst automotive myths, according to you
The automotive world is full of information, but not all of it is fact. From urban legends to outright lies, myths of the car world have long lives. We asked Hagerty Forums readers to tell us about the myths they wish would just go away, and we pulled the top seven responses. Then we put them under a microscope to potentially dispel them. Next time you hear one of these popular anecdotes while walking your local car show, be sure to spread the truth.
The high-MPG carburetor
This supposed efficiency miracle can be traced to Canada in the late 1920s. An inventor named Charles Nelson Pogue submitted patents regarding a carburetor that vaporized fuel before introducing it to the engine’s intake. Critics and contemporary engineers evaluated the design, which in the end constituted of no new technology beyond standard carburetor science of the time.
Somehow, the hype around the miracle invention eventually dried up. But the story lingers in the air. The names sometimes change, the twists of the story sometimes sound exaggerated, but we can assure you if a 200-mpg carburetor were possible, it would already be out there. It’s literally vapor-ware, people!
All Model Ts were black
20180629130944 "driving a 1908 Model T")
When people talk about the Ford Model T, one of the most popular cars of all time, a favorite anecdote to add to the story is Henry Ford declaring that all Model T’s would be black in an effort to speed production. There is some truth to this tale; According to the Model T Ford Club of America, from late 1914 to mid-1925, black was the only available color. In 1912, all Ford Model T’s were painted midnight blue, with the fenders painted black. That leaves 1908–1911 and mid-1925–27 as years where buyers could purchase their T in a choice of roughly six colors.
The explosive Pinto
The 1977 court case of Robert Grimshaw v. Ford Motor Co. put the design of the economical Pinto on trial. The case centered on whether the design of the Pinto allowed the gas tank to be pushed forward, which would cause the gas tank to rupture, potentially causing the car to catch fire. The design was, in fact, found to be faulty during testing. A rear end collision at moderate speed would force the tank forward into the rear axle, which could mean, but not necessarily guarantee, a puncture in the gas tank. The court awarded Grimshaw $127.8 million in damages, and the Pinto got its reputation scorched as a result.
Soon, the urban legend that the cars just straight-up exploded was born, though no Pintos have been documented as blowing up in this way. The risk of fire in a collision is present when considering many vehicle designs (including the Beetle, where the fuel tank is up front), yet the Pinto is the butt of this explosive myth.
1980s GM diesels were converted gas engines
20190115191557 "Oldsmobile diesel engine")
The 1980s were a time of rapid experimentation for many branches within General Motors. Mercedes had a diesel engine in its luxury line, and in an attempt to compete and keep the attention of U.S. buyers, Oldsmobile decided to enter the oil-burner arena. Sadly, the 350-cubic-inch diesel that was born in 1978 was far from what Oldsmobile needed.
The myth of this engine centers on the fact that the bore and stroke of the diesel version are the same as the gas design. While some of the architecture is similar, the diesel engine was not exactly a gas engine with the compression turned up to 22:1. Virtually all of the parts from the block on up were new. Unfortunately, some aspects of the design were rushed, including short main bolts and unbalanced crankshafts.
Lucas electrics being unreliable
The “prince of darkness” jokes never end, but the simple fact is, Lucas electrics were not all bad. Sure, the jokes are funny, and your friend who had an Austin once could never get the headlight to work in the rain. But the truth is that the Lucas electrics work great when everything is set up correctly—which can be easier said than done.
Lucas had a knack for designing circuits that were easily interrupted by corrosion or wear, and repair efforts often focused on the wrong places, butchering up the wire harness in the process. Ensure clean grounds and good connections throughout, and your Lucas system will work for a long time.
Tin foil in the hubcaps
20190923204322 "There’s nothing to distinguish Fairchild’s Grenadier Red ’64 GTO from any other on the road. That’s just how Jim Wangers wanted it.")
Apparently the tin foil hat club thinks tin foil in hub caps can effectively trip up law enforcement speed sensors. I actually hadn’t heard this one prior to reading these responses, but the fact that anyone believed this myth enough to spread is enough to make me laugh. It must have stemmed from the early days of radar speed detection and enforcement, because even a basic understanding of how radar speed detectors work says that a mass of foil stashed in your car’s wheels is going to do nothing in regard to blocking or jamming the radar signal telling the officer how fast your car is traveling.
Corvairs are prone to rolling over
The Corvair was a product of Chevrolet fighting to keep buyers from migrating towards the light and fun imports flooding U.S. shores in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The only true rear-engine design to come from GM, the 1960-64 Corvair featured a swing-axle rear suspension that caused the wheel camber to change as the suspension loaded and unloaded.
Ralph Nader grabbed hold of this Corvair rumor (though multiple other makes utilized the design to much success—Porsche and Volkswagen, to name two) and rigged a test to show the Corvair rolling over due to the wheel camber change during hard cornering. Our own Larry Webster took this myth to test, and didn’t have to call a tow truck (or an ambulance). Myth busted.
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So, I’m a retired status Army Officer. Lived the life with the M151 “jeep” with swing axle. Due to multiple deaths from single vehicle accidents with same, the Army had training films describing the safety issues with the tuck under, and required special license for drivers of those vehicles. However, didn’t stop my driver from getting a speeding ticket in ROK in 1970, that almost ended my career just as it started. (Saved by Warrant Officers and trading with the MP unit personnel) 🤫
Chrysler flathead sixes were called “square cranks” as I remember. They were excellent engines but us young guys got them and beat them hard by over reviving and the crank bearings couldn’t take it. They were installed in many many tractors, combines, and other industrial uses and ran forever under normal use.
Hmmm! I don’t see any mention of General Motors pickup trucks with side saddle gas tanks outside the frame. Didn’t many of them catch on fire in a T bone collision? Wasn’t it in the 80’s?
But rear engine cars such as the Corvair are easy to over-turn and no enthusiastic revisionist ignoring the basic physics involved will change that. I should know – I rolled a Simca 1000 at only 15 mph in a parking lot once! It can be done if you try right!!
Well of course you would say that. Even the best cars can’t compensate for a terrible driver.
How about the myth about cellphones use at gas stations? They would start an inferno due to the radio frequency or static discharge.
People who bought into the 200 mpg carburetor myth lack an understanding not only of basic thermodynamics, but of cars themselves. In fact, in my thermodynamics course, the professor’s first lecture was a debunking of it.
http://ordinaryjer.blogspot.com/2013/04/e-is-for-efficiency.html?m=1
Please help end the myth for the Porsche 928 cars- especially the early first generation model (GT). For the record the 5 speed manual transmission was a non-optioned fitting and was not rare. The 3 speed automatic was an expensive factory option and fitted in about 1/3 of the early cars making the automatic actually the ‘rare’ transmission. For years 1980-7 it’s about a 50:50 ratio on auto vs manual transmissions until the final generation, where it is the 5 speed manual that is more ‘rare’.
I was a GM regional Tech Center-trained technician in the 1980’s and I can certainly attest to the fact that the GM diesel was not a converted gasser starting with the block. IF the engine and fuel systems were properly maintained and ESPECIALLY IF the technician working on same was properly FACTORY trained and experienced in working with these engines, these units were no more unreliable than most other GM product, certain THM transmissions excepted. One could actually “tune ” the Diesel by using the glow plugs as thermocouples, noting which hole was running hotter or cooler than others and adjusting the pop-off pressure of the nozzles to balance cylinder contribution. The LF7 (260CID) was very amenable to this technique and quite strong. Very long glow times, especially in Northern New England, did not help sales in that market but many Cadillac owners in my dealership were most satisfied with the my “oil burners”.
You missed the infamous Audi kerfuffle where claims were made that [the car idles normally in the “park” position, but when the automatic transmission is shifted into “drive” or “reverse,” the car suddenly accelerates without warning.]
Silly peeps can’t tell the brake pedal from the accelerator when looking over their shoulder.
Had a 1961 four door Corvair in high school. My brother and I tried to flip it over and never could, with two people or ten kids in it. Ralph was wrong!
Owned a 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass diesel the worst thing about that car was that the glow plugs kept going out and never worked.
Also owned two pintos, 1971 and 1977. Good cars for what they were. The compact cars of that era all had gas tanks that could impact the rear axle in a crash.
Yea I owned a lot of cars from every manufacturer back in the day.
The Pougue carburetor was a real thing. What changed was the composition of the fuel. Actually was a great story of intrigue and corporate theft , right here in my hometown of Winnipeg
Good grief, some of the claims in the comments are more mythical than the alleged myths in the article.
The Olds diesel was a conversion, to the point that some people use the beefed up diesel blocks for high performance builds. Is the non-production LS7 not a big block chevy because it has improved/modified parts for its intended use? The basic architecture of the Olds diesel was a gas engine and the result of that decision are well known. It was a slapped-together effort and a good representation for the term malaise era.
As a past owner of three different Corvair Monza’s 4 spds. all I can say is Nader was an ass and wrong.
I remember back in the 70s it was said to put 2 cow magnets on your fuel line opposite polarity in order to increase your gas mileage.
I recall the “tin foil-in-hubcap” myth going around in the 70’s, when I was a kid. I mentioned it to my dad (a WW2 Vet), who immediately called BS and gave me a lecture on Allied bombing of Germany. Apparently some of the experimental things the Allies tried was dropping large strips of tin foil in the skies, to fool radar systems. He mentioned the strips were blacked-out on one side, for whatever reason, but did have excellent hang time in the air, creating a large cloud