Before the war, petrol was available in three grades: Commercial at 68 octane, No. 1 grade at 75 octane, and Top grade at 80 octane. In January 1940, during World War II, petrol was rationed. With rationing, all brand names such as Esso and Shell disappeared, and fuel became simply known as 'pool' petrol.
Every car owner was required to apply for a Ration Book. For a small 10HP vehicle, the allocation was typically 5 gallons per month, while larger cars might receive around 6 gallons. Those using a car for business or professional purposes could apply for a supplementary ration, which was granted based on need.
Commercial vehicles received a different type of petrol known as leaded petrol, which was dyed red. It was illegal to use this petrol in private cars. People tried various methods to remove the red color, such as filtering it through ladies’ silk stockings (nylons were not yet available) or adding 'black lead' to absorb the dye. While these methods sometimes worked, anyone caught using commercial petrol illegally faced prosecution. (Black lead, incidentally, was also used for polishing stoves and ranges.)
Cars were not very common at the time; the average person could not afford to own one.
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