What’s the greatest automotive urban legend?

[mags]

Short and sweet (pun intended): sugar in the gas tank.

[Ali Infree]

The brand new 1957 Chevies made at an Indiana plant for ten years after 1957, using spare parts and the body molds from the GM factory.
Although the super efficient engines, magic carbs, etc to extend mileage to 200 mpg probably come up more frequently by far.

Ali

[SplishFish]

I'm curious as to how "greatest" can be quantified in the context of urban legends. Is it the most outrageous, most commonly known, most oft repeated, or oldest?

[Roadsterboy]

Originally Posted by Mad Jay

My favorite one is the one with the thieves who break into the garage, turn the car around, but don't steal anything.

I would give credence to that simply because I've done it to the cars of people I know dozens of times, so it wouldn't shock me if someone broke into a garage and did that, just to freak someone out.

[kanazawa]

Don't forget the Turboencabulator:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLDgQg6bq7o

[E. Q. Taft]

Originally Posted by mags

Short and sweet (pun intended): sugar in the gas tank.

I've also heard of Karo Syrup in the crankcase oil. (The idea is that the first time the car is driven it will run OK, but when the car is parked, the syrup will caramelize as it cools, gunking things up pretty thoroughly.)

[PDQRodder]

Originally Posted by DrRocket

Another one of my favorites is the warehouse full of factory new Willys-Overland jeeps/Harley messenger bikes/Sherman tanks, coated in cosmoline that's "just been discovered." AND YOU CAN BUY ONE!!!!

Not entirely unlikely, 40 or so Sherman tanks (mostly Canadian made Grizzlys) were found in a scrapyard in Portugal in the mid 1990s and were sold off to collectors. Most of the Shermans you see in war movies/TV series now- eg Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers- were from that cache. They're usually indentifiable by the "Canadian Dry Pin" tracks fitted.

[42liter]

This was floated around as FOAF story. Guy bought a new Pontiac wagon. Went on a trip to Florida. Got back & told the dealer what wonderful gas mileage the car got. The Station wagon was replaced by the dealer with a brand new wagon & the 85 mpg car was taken back. Apparently, this was a highly experimental car that got shipped to the dealer by mistake. Beautiful UL.

[kanazawa]

Various legends regarding Lord Lucas, Prince of Darkness:

http://www.mez.co.uk/lucas.html

[Meka]

Not entirely fictional, as there were homebuilt cars with Merlin engines in them, but I've always enjoyed the legend of the Rolls Royce that frustrated the owners of all the high end cars it left in the dust on the Autobahn. Said owners in turn frustrated the salespeople and execs at Rolls who took call after call from them and had to explain that no, it wasn't a question of money, the company really was as clueless as they were about the car. Supposedly, they only figured it out when someone from Rolls Royce spotted the car at a car show, noticed the hood looked longer than stock, and asked to see the engine... and instantly recognized it as a product of the company's aircraft division.

Me "It's still one of yours..." ka

[overyonder]

Originally Posted by Meka

Not entirely fictional, as there were homebuilt cars with Merlin engines in them,

Well, technically, it's a Rolls built car, home-retrofitted with Rolls built Merlin engines. The mating of the two didn't happen at the factory though (at least from what I could find).

OY

[RichardM]

http://www.evo.co.uk/features/featur...the_beast.html

[Hero_Mike]

There's another UL of a Rolls Royce owner in continental europe (or his chauffeur) phoning back to Rolls Royce headquarters to get help with a problem that had cause the car to break down at the side of the road. The RR people asked for his location and told him to stay put. The UL then varies that mechanics arrived either by "unmarked car" or even by helicopter, repaired the Rolls without a word, and left without a word.

The UL finishes by having the Rolls owner call (or better yet, write a letter), thanking the company for their assistance in this matter. The call/letter of thanks receive a reply - the company doesn't know what he's talking about - Rolls Royce motorcars do not have breakdowns!

[Meka]

Originally Posted by overyonder

Well, technically, it's a Rolls built car, home-retrofitted with Rolls built Merlin engines. The mating of the two didn't happen at the factory though (at least from what I could find).

Oh? As far as I've found, all the car chassis/bodies in which Merlins had been installed were either homebuilt or replicas, not actually made by Rolls Royce. i.e., the car in RichardM's link was something he had made himself, which was why it has the owner's initials on the grille - Rolls had forbade him from using their logos or badges.

ETA: Heard that one as well, only in the version I heard, the mechanic shows up in a Rolls of his own.

[overyonder]

Originally Posted by Meka

Oh? As far as I've found, all the car chassis/bodies in which Merlins had been installed were either homebuilt or replicas, not actually made by Rolls Royce. i.e., the car in RichardM's link was something he had made himself, which was why it has the owner's initials on the grille - Rolls had forbade him from using their logos or badges.

ETA: Heard that one as well, only in the version I heard, the mechanic shows up in a Rolls of his own.

1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Wilkinsons Drop Head Coupe

That link above is what made me say that. I'm sure some others have been home-built bodies, no doubt.

OY

[Meka]

Ah.

And may I say, WANT.