Interesting Car Facts

Did you know that cars were first invented in late 1700’s? In 1769 a steam engine car engine was produced and in 1807 a man by the name of Francois Isaac de Rivaz created the design for a combustion engine that runs on gas. However the real journey of the automobile as we know it started in 1886, Karl Benz invented a car that had wire wheels and 4 stroke engine between the two rear wheels. His “Benz Patent Motorwagen” was the first of its kind, the automobile generated power and gave the German inventor the title of the father of automobiles. Below are some more car facts on the history of automobiles that most people don’t know.

The Volkswagen Bug

Adolf Hitler had Ferdinand Porsche design the first Volkswagen (Beetle) which means the “people’s car” in the German language. Porsche’s design would eventually be known as the Volkswagen bug/beetle that is still in production today. Hitler himself drew a model of the Beetle prior to production of the Volkswagen. And when Hitler was in prison, begged in a letter to Mercedes Benz for a car loan.

Rolls-Royce

Originally, Rolls Royce was an airplane and car engine company. The first Rolls Royce came out one year after the company was establish by Frederic Henry Royce and Charles Rolls in 1906. The first Rolls Royce was given the name (the) Silver Ghost and lasted a record 24,000 kilometers in reliance testing. Hong Kong has the most Rolls Royce’s anywhere.

The Priciest Car Ever

A 1954 Mercedes Benz W196R race car was sold at an auction for $30 million in July of 2013. The previous record was a $16.4 million 1957.

Ferrari

Only 14 Ferraris are made per day while most manufacturers make thousands of cars almost every day. Ford is known to produce as many as 10,000 cars per day.

Random Facts

-Airbags deflate in just 40 milliseconds
-Hong Kong has the most Rolls Royce’s anywhere
-China produces 25% of all the world’s cars
-Automobiles have a bad rap however cars are the most recycled product
-British Police carry teddy bears to help kids calm down after accidents
-More deer are killed by drivers than hunters
-Nearly 20% of cars in the U.S. are bought in southern California
-Ford automobiles costed less than $300 dollars in 1925 and made up half of all the cars on the roads at this time
-The average car needs half an ounce of gas to start
-New Jersey and New York are statistically home to the worst drivers in America
-Shanghai, China has banned Red cars
-Cars take 25 hours total to build, 10 of the 25 hours are spent on the paintjob
-The largest speeding ticket ever is $1 million dollars, a Swedish man was given the ticket after an officer clocked him at 180 miles per hour, and the fine was so high due to Sweden’s speeding fines being based the driver’s salary
-Starbucks coffee is more expensive per gallon than gasoline
-Car dashboards originally were meant to keep mud from splashing on drivers of horse drawn carriages
-The largest limo weighs more than 50,000 pounds and can house 40 passengers and has a bar and three lounges
-Jamaican Reggae legend Bob Marley purchased a BMW not because he liked the car but because the initials matched the initials of his band “Bob Marley and the Wailers.