Your petrol of choice ??

[Tony Griffiths]

Branded fuels is a clever marketing construct. With the exception of Fawley in Hampshire all UK refining is owned by specialist refining companies, not the big oil companies. There is no such thing as Shell or BP petrol. Fuel is picked up by tankers from the refinery "rack" based on price and logistics. Esso petrol in Inverness will most likely come from Inneos in Grange mouth, not ExxonMobil in Fawley. What is true is that the "brands" will supplement the "rack" fuel with additives. So, ironically the petrol companies do exactly what we all do; they buy on price and location and then choose, or not, to add their own snake oil additives.

I remember a report in the 1970s by a man who lived opposite one of these stations where the road tankers of the various "brands" filled up. In addition to the normal "grades" of fuel, there were the "additive" tanks you report - which the drivers, he noticed, more often than not ignored. So, what you bought on the forecourt advertised as containing some magic, consumption-lowering, performance-boosting, engine-cleaning, manhood-improving ingredient, often did not. The only thing missing apparently was a tank of paraffin marked "Austin, Ford 10- and Tractor Use Only".
Amusingly, during and for a time after WW2, the only petrol available was a low-octane "Pool". Most cars of the time ran on this perfectly well - but not those with high-compression engines.