So true ......

[pawl]

I remember my dad putting 4 gallons of petrol in his Lanchester woody and getting change from £1.

Plus two pints of beer and twenty woodbines

 

[Brandane]

That was my recollection too

Found this on Wikipedia....

The "Star System" was detailed in BS4040 "Specification for leaded petrol (gasoline) for motor vehicles", introduced in the 1960s as a replacement for informal bandings of "Best" or "Super" (99-101 RON); "Premium" (96-98 RON); "Mixture" (95 RON, from mixing Premium and Regular); "Standard" or "Regular" (89-91 RON). I believe the octane ratings were a (seldom encountered) 1-Star (89 RON); 2-Star (92 RON); 3-Star (95 RON); 4-Star (98 RON); 5-Star (101 RON

 

[raleighnut]

I thought you were older than that.
When I was 16 (1970) petrol was 33p a gallon.
I can well remember, during the fuel rationing in 1973, people saying that if petrol went up to 50p a gallon, that they would give up driving.

I struggled on when it went over a quid but when the motorbike went a bit poorly and someone nicked a load of bits off it I sold the remains for spares and went back to (actually my cousin's bike) Carlton......................Been pedalling since.

 

[Smudge]

My first job at 16 was apprentice motor mechanic, but i also had to occasionally work on the petrol pumps. This was the days when we had pump attendants.
This was 1976 and i'm sure petrol was 72p a gallon there at that time.

 

[Dirk]

..... I also remember the garage owner telling me that people were putting 4-5 star petrol into their motor that should run on 2 star and they were damaging their engine

It wouldn't damage the engine.
It's just wasting money.
The worst it would do is reduce the power that the engine would produce, due to the slower burning properties of a higher octane fuel, or possibly cause a spark plug to whisker.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

I always thought that 2 star was the lowest octane grade, working up to 5 star?

It was but as 4 star was more popular it was cheaper, supply & demand I presume

Plus two pints of beer and twenty woodbines

Our first venture into the pub at 16 was 3 pints of Whitbread & 3 packets of crisps with change, but only in the taproom if you went into the best the beer was 1p dearer & would take it over £1

This was 1976 and i'm sure petrol was 72p a gallon there at that time.

No I'm 100% confident it was 44p a gallon for 4 star

It wouldn't damage the engine.
It's just wasting money.

Not if 4 star was cheaper than 2 star

 

[Dirk]

Not if 4 star was cheaper than 2 star

When was that, then?

 

[Smudge]

It was but as 4 star was more popular it was cheaper, supply & demand I presume
Our first venture into the pub at 16 was 3 pints of Whitbread & 3 packets of crisps with change, but only in the taproom if you went into the best the beer was 1p dearer & would take it over £1
No I'm 100% confident it was 44p a gallon for 4 star
Not if 4 star was cheaper than 2 star

Well i remember it as 72p. I even checked online to see if i remembered it right and its listing petrol prices for that year as 77p a gallon.

 

[Smudge]

I also remember our pumps never had a price gauge, just an analogue numbered gallon fuel gauge. So people would specifically ask for a set amount of gallons for me to put in. It was often 4 gallons they would ask for, i can also remember it was £2.88 for that. Plus extra for shots, 4 & 4 shots they would ask for. Although i cant remember what we charged for shots.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

When was that, then?

Jet station on Gateford Rd in Worksop, but see below as it appears I'm wrong

Well i remember it as 72p. I even checked online to see if i remembered it right and its listing petrol prices for that year as 77p a gallon.

I must be misremembering, but I would have put money on it, I'll have to ask my mate who was around at the time, I can also remember my dad filling up at Stars petrol station in South Anston & it was 3p a gallon, I wonder if I'm wrong about that one as well?

 

[Smudge]

Working as a pump attendant in those days, you almost had to do a mini service after dispensing petrol. They would ask you to check the oil, the water, the distilled water in the battery, put air in the tyres and clean the windscreen. Often they wouldn't even bother to get out the car, like you were some sort of lowly serf to be ordered around while they sat behind the wheel.

 

[Accy cyclist]

I'll just ad my 'the price of petrol' in the 1970's/80's thoughts. I had quite a few British Leyland Minis in those days. Every week i'd put £2.50 worth of 4 star in. I now have a BMW mark 1 diesel Mini and put £10.00 of fuel in a week. I suppose i'm right in saying the cost of living has more or less quadrupled in 40 odd years,but so have incomes. if fuel was slightly cheaper in those days,the saving was counteracted by the cost of body filler you had to keep buying to fill all the holes in of those BL rust buckets! Every Sunday our dad had mine and brother's cars round the back,filling in the holes with fibre glass sheeting and resin. I still love that smell on the rare occasion i get a whiff of it!

 

[matiz]

I used to pay 50p to fill the tank on 250cc BSA in 1970, I can remember raiding my piggy bank once so I could get to work and paying the attendant in half Ps it used to hold about a gallon and a half.

 

[EltonFrog]

I thought you were older than that.
When I was 16 (1970) petrol was 33p a gallon.
I can well remember, during the fuel rationing in 1973, people saying that if petrol went up to 50p a gallon, that they would give up driving.

That would’ve been about 6s9d wouldn’t it?

I used to pay 50p to fill the tank on 250cc BSA in 1970, I can remember raiding my piggy bank once so I could get to work and paying the attendant in half Ps it used to hold about a gallon and a half.

ten bob note for a tank of fuel, not that cheap back then.

 

[Dirk]

That would’ve been about 6s9d wouldn’t it?

6s7d.
34p would have been 6s9p.*


* Or thereabouts.