Someone asked the question "What is Union Spirit" in a newsgroup devoted to human rights, and I think it was a reference to some political slogan being used in Burma alias Myanmar.
But I remember it as a brand of petrol.
It was originally (in the 1940s) sold only in Natal, and mainly in and around Durban, where many garages would have a Union pump. In those days garages sold several brands of petrol. There were no "one brand" garages. The commonest brands were Caltex, Shell, Pegasus and Atlantic. Pegasus later became Mobil and is now Engen. Atlantic became BP.In the Transvaal province in the 1950s there was Satmar, which was made from torbanite (oil shale) and later Sasol (made from coal).
In the 1960s there was one garage in Johannesburg that sold Union Spirit. It was in Jeppestown, and was in demand among sports car drivers because at that time the regular petrol sold at other garages was 87 octane, and not suitable for high-compression engines, even at Johannesburg's altitude
Union Spirit was 100 octane.
2 comments:
Hi. I am a 75 year old Safrican Born 1945. My Dad died only a few years ago. Now I remember Union Spirit well from when I was seven in 1952. In Dunottar on the East Rand Transvaal Satmar was producing (petrol) from sugar cane and some maize. When we went to Durbs for a holiday we put some union spirit in the tank to stop 'pinking" at the lower altitudes. Did not have multi grade octanes then. Dad says that SATMAR started on the East Rand in 1937 after being started in Natal years before. He said SA and Rhodesia and Betchuanaland and South West Africa
would have had big problems during WW2 as regards fuel had it not been for SATMAR. Even our air force was using it . He was most disgusted years later when SASOL claimed to be the first manufacturer of synthetic fuel in the world
I grew up in Estcourt Natal and I remember Gellings Service Station in Harding Street selling Pegasus petrol and Union spirit. Old man Gelling had a parrot that swore so bad. Gellings was the first service station from Johannesburg to Durban who stocked and sold Union spirit. The Vaalies used to put 2 gallons of Union spirit in the tank and fill up with 98 octane petrol so their engine didn't "ping" when they got to the coast
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