It's a bit off the Diesel topic but I still have a V-12 that I've owned for 15 years. I think the reason they burn is that the engines run very hot (something about a bad design that wrapped the water jackets too far down the exhaust stream) and with all the plumbing very few owners bothered to replace their fuel lines as they dried out. Couple that with the fact the carbs are located right over the exhaust manifold and it's an accident waiting to happen unless you're dilligent about the maintenance. All this kind of makes you appreciate the engineering the Mercedes guys put in.

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LRG
1987 300D Turbo 175K
2006 Toyota Prius, efficent but no soul
1985 300 TDT(130K miles of trouble free motoring)now sold