It may sound ridiculous, but it’s true. In 2007, two British environmentalists drove a car 7,200 km (4,500 miles) from Britain to Timbuktu in Mali, Africa, powered by 4,000 kg (8,800 lbs) of chocolate converted into a biofuel.
In numbers
1/4 of world’s cars are in the United States
5 cents were charged to park for one hour at the world’s first parking meter. I was installed in 1935 in Oklahoma City, USA.
50 million new cars built worldwide each year.
Popularity contest
In 1921, 50.4 per cent of all the cars made in the world were Model-T Fords, making the car, nicknamed the “Tin Lizzie”, the most popular ever built.
More Toyota Corollas have been sold than any other type of car. The Corolla began production in 1966 and is still being built today, with more than 31 million cars sold so far.
The Corolla has substantially changed over the years, whereas the 21,529,464 Volkswagen Beetles sold between 1983 and 2003 all had the same basic design, making it the true winner.
WEIRD OR WHAT?
An English law of 1878 said that powered vehicles could only travel at walking pace, and had to have a man walking in front of them carrying a red flag to warn pedestrians and horse traffic ahead. Fortunately the law was repealed in 1896, or the traffic jams would be horrendous!
In jam
The average commuter spends 46 hours a year in jams.
The longest traffic jam ever was 176 km(109 miles), stretching from Lyon to Paris,
France, on 16 February 1980.
In Athens, Greece, only cars with odd-numbered licence plates can drive in the city on odd-numbered days, and vice verse on even-numbered days
Blasts from the past
1400s: Italian inventor and artist Leonardo da Vinci considers the idea of a self-propelled vehicle.
1885: German Karl Benz builds the first car with an internal combustion engine.
1886: German engineer Gottlieb Daimler builds the first four-wheeled car.
1895: The French Michelin brothers produce the first pneumatic (air-filled) tyres.
1895: The British Arnold is the first car fitted with an electric starter motor.
1899: Steering wheels are fitted. Before this cars were steered with a “tiller” handle.
1901: The first mass-produced car, the Oldsmobile, begins production in the USA.
1979: The catalytic converter is introduced to reduce pollution from car exhausts.
1997: Toyota releases the first hybrid car, the Prius. It is powered by both petrol and electricity.
Mad motors
The Jeep Hurricane has a steering system that allows all four wheels to move in different directions.
The Commuter Cars Tango is so narrow it can fit sideways into a parking space. It can carry two people.
The Gibbs Aquada is a car that can float. lt travels at 160 kph (100 mph) on land and 50 kph (30 mph) on water.
The Rinspeed SQuba is a convertible car that can move underwater like a submarine.
The most expensive car in the world is a ‘Bugatti La Voiture Noire’. Produced by Volkswagen, it costs about US$19 MILLION.
The cheapest car in the world is the ‘Nano’, made by Indian car manufacturer Tata. It costs just US$2,500.
The triple crown of motorsports
Indianapolis 500: Nicknamed “The 500″, this 805-km (500-mile) annual race is held in Speedway, Indiana, USA. It is the largest single~day sporting event in the world.
24 Hours of Le Mans: A 24-hour endurance race held annually near the town of Le Mans, Sarthe, France.
Formula One World Championships: The cars are known for the deafening roars of mighty engines, screeching tyres, and breathtaking speeds reaching 360 kph (225 mph). The driver with the most points at the end of a 17-race season is the winner.
Types of car
- saloon
- estate
- hatchback
- convertible
- coupe
- limousine
- 4×4
- people carrier
Lets run down some numbers on longest road networks in the world.
Top 10 countries with the longest road networks
- USA 6,430,366 km (3,995,6-43 miles)
- India 3,383,344 km (2,102,312 miles)
- China 1,930,544 km (1 ,199,584 miles)
- Brazil 1,751,868 km (1 ,088,560 miles)
- Japan 1,193,000 km (741 ,296 miles)
- Canada 1,042,300 km (647,655 miles)
- France 950,985 km (590,915 miles)
- Russia 854,000 km (530,650 miles)
- Australia 812,972 km (505,157 miles)
- Spain 681,224 km (423293 miles)
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