Leaflets found in my 80s car about the imperial to metric fuel change

by mashedcarrot69

20 comments
  1. Still annoys me we fill up in litres and measure economy in miles per gallon.

  2. I don’t remember it changing and am 55. I remember it being gallons when out with my parents and getting petrol.

  3. 42p a litre? Do I look like I’m made of bloody money?!

  4. Most laughable part here is that if you need help you can ask the petrol station attendants

  5. SHOW US THE CAR AND IT BETTER NOT BE AN AUSTIN METRO!

  6. I always wonder if the government over inflate fuel costs in order to force people to use less and therefore shows the country look like they’re reducing emissions, whilst not actually losing the tax income from people actually using less 🤔

  7. I wish we did miles per litre… Miles per gallon hides a lot of basic everyday analysis of performance 

  8. Interestingly, this change didn’t come in as a result of metrification.

    It was because the petrol pumps would not be capable of showing the price per gallon if prices kept increasing.

    Switching to per-litre meant that the old pumps could continue being used, and so the petrol companies requested permission to switch to metric.

    I guess it was a bit like when all the petrol stations had to glue a “1” to their price signs when the prices passed £1 per litre. Personally, I’m not sure why they didn’t change from a pump saying 110.9 pence per litre to 111 pence per litre, to avoid having to change the sign.

  9. Gotta love that we sell fuel per litre, measure speed in miles per hour and fuel economy in gallons

  10. These pictures have unlocked old nasal memories. I can smell the oil, petrol, and maybe a hint of ancient cigarette smoke.

  11. I love seeing ephemera like this – such insights into changes in society. Do you have a local museum that would be interested in it?

  12. Pricing per litre was first permitted as of 1981.

  13. God, I remembered that chart on the flip side.  Serious blast from the past.  Not even thinking about the actual numbers though!

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