General Castrol R Smell

[ClassicFiat500]

Too many years ago when I could fill up my tank for £1.00 Yes 4 gallons. I remember when I lived & grew up in Birmingham a few times a year we went to Mallory Park for a race day. You knew when you were arriving as you approached the circuit there were large signs saying “MOTOR RACING IS DANGEROUS“ However the best part of the day was the SMELL of Castrol R. As a keen petrol head I used to put a cap full of Castrol R in my fuel tank just to replicate that wonderful smell. 2 questions here - Is Castrol R still available? and would it tar up the carb?
Photo of my 1st white 500 back in the mid 60s just after someone almost took my front wing off!
58 years later & after 83 different cars I have finished up with another 500L in blue it still has that nostalgic memories.

 

[RalphM]

R is ok in race engines that are stripped down on a regular basis but don't
do it on a road engine I have seen a few engines gummed up by it's use,
smells lovely but don't do it.

 

[fiat500]

Too many years ago when I could fill up my tank for £1.00 Yes 4 gallons. I remember when I lived & grew up in Birmingham a few times a year we went to Mallory Park for a race day. You knew when you were arriving as you approached the circuit there were large signs saying “MOTOR RACING IS DANGEROUS“ However the best part of the day was the SMELL of Castrol R. As a keen petrol head I used to put a cap full of Castrol R in my fuel tank just to replicate that wonderful smell. 2 questions here - Is Castrol R still available? and would it tar up the carb?
Photo of my 1st white 500 back in the mid 60s just after someone almost took my front wing off!
58 years later & after 83 different cars I have finished up with another 500L in blue it still has that nostalgic memories.

Lovely old photo; thanks for posting that.

 

[the hobbler]

Many years ago when I was 'volunteered' to shut down the computer at the garage I worked at (M/Benz,in East Anglia) every night, I came up with the expression:--"progress is movement, but with no guarentee that it's forward" due to the continuing problems we had with the (very early) system. With regard to our Fiats, I could apply the same mantra---when doing my apprenticeship I ran a 500; fuel was 5 shillings a gallon and my 500 regularly did 50mpg, so I also could get 200 miles for £1 of fuel. Move forward 55 years; I have a modern diesel car that does 65mpg on a run---and get 9.6 mpg!----Progress?

 

[the hobbler]

Whoops!---I meant 9.6 miles PER POUND!

 

[Bleeding Knuckles]

Having driven through the night and now plodding across the Irish Sea I reflect on the happy times breathing in the heady fumes of Castro R. The best time was at a local sprint affair with only motorbikes participating, it didn’t stop us forming a neat line of petrol heads sniffing in the fumes at the start line, in fact given todays woke pc agendas we would probably be arrested for substance abuse now!!! but the smell oh yes bring it on!!!
Ian.