Cars may primarily be ways for humans to get from A to B but they have ingrained themselves in our culture and produced fascinating tales of motoring and motorsport exploits. In tribute to the automobile, buckle up for some of the most interesting car facts:
1. The longest car
The world’s longest car stretches an astonishing 30.51m, the same length as nearly eight Volkswagen Polos parked in a line. The super limousine seats about 75 people and is equipped with luxury features fit for royalty, including several TVs, a fridge, a putting green, a pool and a helipad.
Based on a 1976 Cadillac Eldorado, it has 26 wheels and two engines and can be driven from both ends. The colossal Cadillac is built in two sections, joined in the middle by a hinge for turning tight corners.
Ten fun car facts you probably didn’t know
From the most expensive speeding fine to the longest limo, here are some mega motoring feats
Cars may primarily be ways for humans to get from A to B but they have ingrained themselves in our culture and produced fascinating tales of motoring and motorsport exploits. In tribute to the automobile, buckle up for some of the most interesting car facts:
1. The longest car
The world’s longest car stretches an astonishing 30.51m, the same length as nearly eight Volkswagen Polos parked in a line. The super limousine seats about 75 people and is equipped with luxury features fit for royalty, including several TVs, a fridge, a putting green, a pool and a helipad.
Based on a 1976 Cadillac Eldorado, it has 26 wheels and two engines and can be driven from both ends. The colossal Cadillac is built in two sections, joined in the middle by a hinge for turning tight corners.
2. The largest car collection
The 29th Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, reportedly owns more than 7,000 cars of different makes and models with an estimated combined value of more than $5bn (R91.8bn).
He is one of the last absolute monarchs in the world and his collection is reported to include 11 Ferrari F40s, 10 McLaren F1s (only 106 were produced) and more than 500 Rolls-Royces — the latter a Guinness World Record for the largest private Rolls-Royce collection. It's enough to make any car lover jealous.
3. Largest car engine
The greatest engine capacity of a production car was 13.5l for the US Pierce-Arrow 6-66 Raceabout of 1912-1918, the US Peerless 6-60 of 1912-1914 and the Fageol of 1918. It wasn’t exactly a powerhouse. Despite being more than 10 times the size of a modern 1.3l engine, the monster motor had about the same power output of 49kW.
Despite its underwhelming performance in modern terms, the six-cylinder Pierce-Arrow was a highly regarded vehicle in its day and is said to have been a favourite of smugglers during the prohibition era because of the smoothness and quietness of its engine.
4. The first electric vehicle was created in the 1800s
Electric vehicles (EVs) are seen by many as a modern trend, but the first crude electric carriage was created in the 1830s by Scottish inventor Robert Anderson — half a century before Carl Benz patented his first petrol-powered car in 1886. EVs became relatively popular in the late-19th and early-20th centuries and were used as taxis in Britain and in the US until mass production of cheaper internal-combustion engine (ICE) cars led to their decline.
Today EVs are making a comeback in a bid to reduce air pollution, and 10.5-million battery-powered vehicles were sold globally in 2022.
5. The highest vehicle mileage
American Irvin Gordon put 4.8-million km on his 1966 Volvo 1800S in 2014 to earn him a Guinness World Record. Gordon kept driving the Volvo until his death in 2020 aged 77, with the odometer then reportedly showing 5.2-million km — equivalent to 130 times around the world. That’s some testament to Swedish engineering!
6. Most expensive car
In May 2022 a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé racing car — one of only two ever built — was sold for a world record $142m (R2.6bn) in an RM Sotheby’s auction. For the same price you could buy 962 new Mercedes-Benz S500 luxury sedans.
The 300 SLR had been in Mercedes’ possession since being built and it was assumed the German firm would never part with one of the crown jewels of its company collection, considered the “Mona Lisa” of cars because of its rarity and racing pedigree. The $142m figure smashed the previous $78m (R1.4bn) record sale of a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO in 2018.
7. The fastest engine replacement
We’re used to seeing Formula One pit stops taking about three seconds to change the wheels, but in 1985 five Royal British marines replaced a whole engine in just 42 seconds — and then started the car and drove it.
The crew spent two weeks practising the engine swap in a Ford Escort until they could do it fast enough to break the world record.
8. The fastest side wheelie in a car
The fastest side wheelie in a car is 186.269km/h and was achieved by Vesa Kivimäki in Seinäjoki, Finland, in 2016.
Vesa is a Finnish stuntman who has been driving since the age of six, and he set the record in a BMW 330d.
9. The most expensive speeding fine
The highest speeding fine was $1m (R18.3m) in Switzerland in 2010, given to an unnamed Swedish driver who was clocked doing 290km/h in a Mercedes SLS AMG.
In Switzerland, speeding fines are proportionate to the amount someone earns.
10. How many cars are there in the world?
There are an estimated 1.2-billion cars in the world today, up from 500-million in 1986. According to a report released by research house Bernstein, there will be 2-billion cars on the planet by 2040.
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