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Showing results for tags 'car fun facts'.
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CARFACTS: Some facts for the motor-lovers out there: 1) A modern Formula 1 car can drive upside down in a tunnel at 120mph. F1 cars produce around 3.5G while cornering, meaning they’ve enough aerodynamic downforce to drive upside down in a tunnel. 2) 60 million cars are produced every year That’s 165,000 a day, 6,875 an hour and 115 a minute. 3) The first ever car accident occurred in 1891. This prompted the introduction of better safety equipment for drivers. 4) The world’s first speeding ticket was issued in 1902. How fast was the offending motorist travelling? A scandalous 45mph. 5) The largest speeding fine ever produced was €1,000,000. This was levelled at a man in Sweden, who was clocked doing 180mph. In Sweden, speeding fines are proportionate to the amount someone earns. 6) The average car contains over 30,000 unique parts. When you think about it, it’s a miracle they don’t break down more often. 7) The world record for removing and replacing a car engine is 42 seconds. This record was set by mechanics working on a Ford Escort on 21 November, 1985. 8) The highest total mileage clocked by a single car is 2,850,000 million miles. That’s equivalent to driving around the Earth 100 times. 9) Cars were seen as the “green” alternative of transportation in the early 20th century because horses were causing so much pollution with their poop. 10) In Russia, it’s a criminal offense to drive around in a dirty car. 11) The “new car smell” is composed of over 50 volatile organic compounds—none of which are toxic. 12) The most expensive car ever sold at a public auction was a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R Formula 1 race car, which went for a staggering $30 million at Bonhams in July 2013. The record was previously held by a 1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa Prototype, sold in California at an auction for $16.4 million. 13) Jamaican reggae singer-songwriter and guitarist, Bob Marley owned a BMW, not for prestige but because of the coincidence of initials for Bob Marley and the Wailers. 14) The Ford GT broke the crushing machine used in the “roof crush” safety test because it’s so strong. 15) The man who invented cruise control was blind. His name was Ralph Teetor, and he was inspired to invent cruise control by his lawyer, who was apparently a very poor driver. 16) 1 billion cars are currently in use around the world. Compared to the world’s population, that’s around one car for every seven people on Earth. 17) Electric cars are not a new thing; they were already being manufactured in 1905. Rauch & Lang produced electric cars until 1920, when the gas-combustion engine became cheaper to run because of low gas prices. 18) Whale oil was actually used in some car transmissions until 1973. 19) From 1908-1914, Ford’s Model T could be purchased in several different colors, but not black. In an effort to make production cheaper and more efficient, Ford chose to make all further Model T’s only in the color black (since black paint was cheap and durable) 20) The 1970 Oldsmobile 442 was capable of doing zero to 60 in less than six seconds. This speed was pretty impressive for the 70’s, especially for an Oldsmobile.