Craig Henderson said Thursday he broke his world record for fuel economy, proving again that his aerodynamic Avion sports car can drive from border to border on a single tank of gas.
The Tacoma native started the venture Sunday, determined to show the car he built 25 years ago gets the most miles per gallon of any vehicle.
Over the 1,478-mile drive from Blaine to the Mexican border, Henderson said, he averaged 119.1 mpg. His 1986 world record was 103.7 mpg.
“I had butterflies for a while in my stomach thinking, ‘Are we going to make it? Is it going to break down?’” Henderson said Thursday. “All those things were going through my head.”
He steered the Avion to the Mexican border about 6 p.m. Wednesday. Henderson said he enjoyed the journey but will be shipping his car home to Bellingham rather than putting more miles on it.
He said that during the three-day trip the car used 12.4 gallons of gas. He had anticipated using about 14, though he brought 19 gallons with him.
Henderson and a friend designed and built the Avion 25 years ago, using recycled car parts and installing a small diesel engine.
“It’s kind of funny … these are two guys who did this,” Henderson said. “Why can’t Detroit do this?”
Stacia Glenn: 253-597-8653 stacia.glenn@thenewstribune.com
Mileage details
Mileage details for Craig Henderson’s three-day trek from Blaine to Tijuana, Mexico, in the Avion:
Leg miles fuel used mpg
Blaine to Portland
Sunday 323 2.87 112.7
Portland to Redding, Calif.
Monday 413 3.5 117.5
Redding to Fresno, Calif.
Tuesday 341 2.6 129
Fresno to the Mexico border
Wednesday 401 3.4 117.8
More information is available at Henderson’s website at www.100mpgplus.com.
