An automobile is a vehicle that is used to transport passengers on roads. The word “automobile” is derived from the Greek words “auto” and “mobile” (French). An automobile is a way of life that reflects the owner’s personality. Cars are one of the most helpful inventions ever. Nobody forgets their first automobile. Having a car is a significant deal, almost like having a status symbol.
Interesting facts about cars
1. World’s first car
Carl Benz invented the world’s first vehicle in 1885. The car’s top speed was 16 kilometres per hour. It had a horizontally mounted one-cylinder four-stroke engine on a specially constructed chassis. The Benz Patent Motorwagen was its name.
2. First car for the masses
The Model T, designed by Henry Ford, became the first mass-market automobile in 1908. This was a cheap automobile. In 1908, it cost roughly $850, and in 1925, it cost around $260. (the reduction in the cost of the car was mainly because of the invention of the assembly line).
3. It was the world’s first self-propelled vehicle.
Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot created the first self-propelled vehicle, the Cugnot Fardier, in 1769. It was a tricycle propelled by steam.
4. The first IC engine in the world
Nicephore Niepce is thought to have created the world’s first IC engine, The Pyréolophore, in 1807. The creation of photography is also credited to the inventor.
5. The automobile’s birth certificate
On January 29, 1886, Carl Benz submitted for a patent for his “mobile propelled by a gas engine.” The patent application with the number DRP – 37435 could be considered the automobile’s birth certificate. The German Imperial Patent Office in Berlin received the patent application.
6. The first long-distance voyage in the world
Bertha Benz (wife of Carl Benz) and her two sons made the first long-distance drive in the history of the vehicle in August 1888 (from Mannheim in southern Germany to Pforzheim).
7. There are numerous components.
A car contains 30,000 parts on average. In 2014, Japan produced approximately 9,770,000 automobiles. Toyota produced around 3,270,000 automobiles out of this total.
8. parked at all times
A car spends nearly 95 percent of its life parked.
9. Recyclable
Surprisingly, an average car is recyclable to the tune of 80%. Every year, 12 million vehicles are recycled in the United States alone. Automobile recycling is the 16th largest industry in the United States.
10. Lots of jobs
Did you know that in 1982, the automobile industry provided one of every 6 jobs in the U.S? Thus, the automobile industry became a key force for change in the 20th century America.
11. A car in just 24 seconds!
From 1909 to 1927, Ford produced over 15 million automobiles. Assembly of the Model T took 12 hours at first. In 1913, with the use of the assembly line approach, this time was reduced to 8 minutes for each car, and by 1927, during the Model T’s final years of production, the plant was delivering a fully constructed automobile in just 24 seconds. That is the power of invention in action.
12. Toyota Corolla
The Toyota Corolla is the best-selling automobile in the world. The Corolla is sold in more than 150 countries and regions, with one Corolla sold every 15 seconds. Since its inception in 1966, the firm has sold approximately 44.1 million of these cars, accounting for roughly 20% of the company’s total sales.
13. World’s first electric traffic signal
The world’s first electric traffic light is installed on the corner of Euclid Avenue and East 105th Street in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 5, 1914, for the first time in America and the globe. In addition, the first painted centre dividing line debuted in Michigan in 1911; the first “No Left Turn” sign appeared in Buffalo, New York, in 1916; and left-hand driving became conventional in American automobiles in 1908.
14. Automatic vs manual transmission
For Americans, driving a car with a standard or manual transmission is a difficult task. It’s worth noting that automatic transmissions are found in over 95% of cars in the United States. In Europe and Japan, on the other hand, manual gearboxes are found in more than 80% of automobiles sold.
15. Vulcanization
Vulcanized rubber is used in automobile tyres. Vulcanization is a procedure that involves heating natural rubber or comparable polymers with sulphur or other equivalent curatives or accelerators to make them more durable. When Charles Goodyear was in jail, he experimented with a piece of rubber and a pin to develop the vulcanization process. He dropped the piece of rubber on the hot stove by accident, and it turned black and harsh.
16. The Beetle and Adolf Hitler
The Beetle was created when Adolf Hitler, inspired by Henry Ford, ordered Dr. Ferdinand Porche, a German automaker, to design a people’s automobile or “Volks Wagen” dubbed the KDF (from 1938 to 2003; total 21,529,464 units made) (Kraft durch Frende).
17. rare Rolls Royce
Did you know that the Rolls-Royce HP-15 is one of the world’s most valuable automobiles? Are you curious as to why? There were a total of 6 of these cars built. There is just one of these cars left in the world. It is estimated to be worth $35 million. The automobile had three cylinders and could reach a top speed of 39 mph.
18. The longest car in the world
A custom-built limousine by California car genius Jay Ohrberg takes the distinction of world’s longest car. The car is 100 metres long and holds the Guinness World Record for being the world’s longest automobile. Surprisingly, the vehicle also includes a swimming pool and a helicopter pad.
The Tata Nano is the world’s cheapest automobile, made by Indian automaker Tata Motors. It is a rear-wheel-drive vehicle with a top speed of 105 kilometres per hour.
The world’s fastest police car is in Dubai (certified by Guinness World Records). It’s a Bugatti Veyron, only one of the company’s 14 supercars. The vehicle is powered by a 16-cylinder engine that generates 1,000 horsepower. The vehicle has a top speed of 253 mph (407 km/h) and can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than two and a half seconds.