Car

CAR HISTORY

The Benz Patent-Motorwagen (or motorcar) was officially unveiled by Karl Benz on July 3, 1886. It is widely regarded as the world's first automobile; that is, a vehicle designed to be propelled by an internal combustion engine. The original cost of the vehicle was $1,000.

The first recorded theft of a motor car occurred in Paris on June 1, 1896, when a Peugeot belonging to Baron de Zuylen was stolen by his mechanic.

The first car advert was published on June 30, 1898 in the Scientific American magazine. The Winton Motor Carriage Company urged its readers to "dispense with a horse." 

The Winton ad is also notable for its use of the word "automobile." This word was coined by the French engineer Amédée Bollée in 1891, but it was not widely used in English until the late 1890s. The Winton ad helped to popularize the word "automobile" and to make it the standard term for a self-powered vehicle.

In 1900, 40% of American automobiles were powered by steam and 38% by electricity.

The first pedestrian killed by a car in the UK was Bridget Driscoll, 44, of Croydon in 1896. Curiously, her almost namesake, Bridget O’Driscoll was a Titanic survivor in 1912.

Theodore Roosevelt was the first President of the United States to make a public ride in an automobile. On August 22, 1902, President Roosevelt rode in a Columbia Electric Victoria Phaeton through the streets of Hartford, Connecticut, as part of a multi-state tour of New England. The car was driven by Colonel J.L. Greene, who was a friend of Roosevelt's and a prominent businessman in Hartford.

The Columbia Electric Victoria Phaeton was a popular model at the time. It was powered by an electric motor, which made it relatively quiet and pollution-free. The car could reach a top speed of 12 mph, and it had a range of about 50 miles.

Pennsylvania pastor Reverend I.J. Lansing lambasted automobiles in a September 1910 sermon, saying that parishioners had become "so absorbed in their machines that they spend their whole time on Sundays enjoying their pleasures and devoting no time to the Church."

In 1914, it was estimated that nine out of every ten cars in the world were Fords.

When Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated on June 28, 1914, he was driving in a Gräf & Stift Bois de Boulogne Double Phaeton luxury limousine, which had been purchased by Count Franz von Harrach on December 15, 1910. Harrach's car was fitted with a four-cylinder engine delivering 32 PS.

The 1910 Gräf & Stift Bois de Boulogne phaeton automobile in which Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated.

The 1922 Essex was the first popularly priced car available with a closed body. The two-door, six-cylinder sedan was called the Essex Coach and sold for $945.

In 1925 there were 24,564,574 cars in the world of which 21,094, 980 could be found in the US.

The 1939 World's Fair in New York featured driverless vehicle technology, and experts were sure it would be a reality by the 1960s.

The Toyota Corolla was first introduced in 1966, and has a model name that comes from the Latin word for “small crown.” It is now the most common automobile in the world.

CAR RECORDS

The longest car ever made was a 100 foot-long Cadillac with 26 wheels, a swimming pool, a Jacuzzi,  diving board, helipad and a hinged section in the middle to enable it to turn corners. It was called the ‘American Dream’.

The highest speed officially reached by a standard production car is 269 mph — by the $1.9 million Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. It takes 2.5 seconds to go from 0-60 mph. The Super Sport is recognized by Guinness World Records as the fastest street-legal production car in the world.

At top speed, the Bugatti Veyron will empty its 26 gallon tank in 12 minutes.

The most expensive 21st century car ever sold at auction is a one-of-a-kind Ferrari LaFerrari that went for $7 million.

FUN CAR FACTS

The average number of cars stolen per day in Mexico City this year is 124.

In Johannesburg, the average car will be involved in an accident once every four years.

Cars release about 333 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually — 20 per cent of the world’s total.

More pollution is emitted from the average home compared to the average car.

The average North American car contains 300 pounds of plastics.

In an average lifetime, people spend four years traveling in cars and six months waiting for red light to turn green.

Red is the most popular car color in the US.

Most American car horns beep in the key of F.

96 Percent of Americans use automatic cars while 80 Percent of Europeans use manual.

The least ticketed car in the US is the Dodge Viper.

It’s against the law to slam your car door in Switzerland.

Cars with a number plate ending with 1 or 2 are not allowed on the roads on a Monday in the Philippines. Other numbers are similarly banned on other weekdays.

95% of a car's lifetime is spent parked—they are typically in motion for 1.02 hours per day.