I keep seeing a convoy of 5 C class Mercedes on my way home from work.

They are all driven by 'men in suits', all have 4 very large plastic bags as passengers! (1 in each seat).

I can only guess they are doing some sort of fully loaded test run or something.

This has been going on for the last few months.

I work in Bradwell, Hope Valley, in the Peak District and they always seem to drive through at about 5:30 p.m.

Anybody have any ideas what's going on.

If I remember, I will try and write down their registrations the next time I see them.

They are consecutive numbers, they are 320CDIs, the blokes are mainly middle aged and they start the day near Tescos in Macclesfield.....

So, are they just trying to follow one of Briskoda's Cat and Fiddle routes then?

You seem to know more than I do, what's the story???

are mainly middle aged ...

Thought that was the only sort of person that drove Mercedes

This was posted on PistonHeads some weeks back. It is a trial by one of the fuel/oil companies.

Basically, they've hired a bunch of drivers to drive round in convoy, with each car running a slightly different fuel but identical "passengers" and at the same time of day.

Once they've done this for a few months they'll analyse the info (but no one knows what they're looking for, I guess MPG/engine wear/oil consumption etc.)

Many years ago.... many, many years ago.... at least 20+

I had a friend who worked at a fuel test lab in Bletchley, Milton Keynes.

Even then, they had test rigs to do 'road tests' on.

Someone would drive a set route with a recorder in the car, then the car would be put on a test bed / rolling road and then driven the recorded route over and over again. This would include gear changes and everything.

You would think, over the past 20 years, that you would no longer needed 'middle aged' men to drive cars around the Peak District all day.

Although, I can think of worse jobs!

i live close to Shell Stanlow oil refinery ,they have a research facility (test the Ferrari F1 oils there as well) and they used to have test vehicles driving set routes , iirc they VW Polos then Vauxhall Astras

ran them with a verticle board , about 12" high on a roof rack bar