Last week, John and Helen Taylor [1] embarked on 70-day adventure in pursuit of a new Guinness World Record [2] – one that captures the current energy-conscious (albeit energy-lavish) zeitgeist: They plan to circle the globe by car demonstrating maximum fuel-efficiency – with only 50 fill-ups. Accompanied by a journalist, a cameraman, two support staff and an independent Guinness witness, the team boasts a fancy web site, FuelChallenge.com [3], that chronicles the adventure with daily news updates.

The Taylors, a middle-aged British couple, managed to get sponsorship from Shell Oil [4], which is providing a special, high-efficiency fuel for the voyage. The fuel is in testing phase and not yet on the market. The quest will otherwise involve standard, everyday equipment – namely, a generic Volkswagen Golf [5].

One wonders, of course, why the fuel-economy fanatics wouldn't choose a hybrid to further lighten their environmental footprint. “A record-setting technical triumph, a 70-day soap opera, or a bit of both?” asks the website. But what about this third option: An elaborate publicity stunt for Shell and VW?

Photo credit: FuelChallenge.com [6]