10 Fascinating Car Facts You Probably Didn’t Know – Cars are everywhere – most people have one. But this means that we can sometimes take for granted how interesting and exciting they are. Below, we explore some of the curiosities and fascinating aspects of cars that you’re probably not aware of.
Best-selling car ever
The highest selling car of all time is the Toyota Corolla. Originally produced in Japan, the Corolla has been a staple of the world car industry since 1966. Even though it’s in its 12th generation now, the Corolla is still one of the most popular vehicles around.
Speed limits
The UK was the first country in the world to issue a legal speed limit. Back in 1865, the UK implemented a 10mph speed limit before cautiously lowering this to 4mph in the countryside and 2mph in urban areas. Naturally, the limit is a lot higher now!
Longest traffic jam (distance)
The furthest a traffic jam has ever spread was between Lyon and Paris (France, 1980). This 109-mile gridlock is said to have occurred following winter vacationers returning to Paris following poor weather.
Longest traffic jam (time)
In terms of time, there’s a different winner for the worst traffic jam though. A jam in Beijing across a 62 mile stretch lasted 12 days for those moving along the Beijing-Tibet expressway.
Little sharks hidden in Vauxhalls
Some Opel cars have little sketches of sharks indented secretly in the vehicle. These easter eggs are hidden in different places in their cars from the glovebox to the passenger doors. This culture emerged when a son of a vehicle designer urged his father to give the glovebox ribs the shape of a shark. Nowadays, this design can be spotted in vehicles from the Corsa, to the Insignia or the Astra.
The automatic v manual divide
Europe and the USA have a surprisingly different experience with cars. In Europe, a manual gearbox is the default setting for a car – 80 per cent of cars sold in Europe are manual. Meanwhile, just three per cent of vehicles sold in the US are manual. This divergence can largely be put down to cultural differences, but it’s still surprising!
30,000 pieces in a car
We all know that cars are sophisticated. But there’s still even more detail in a car than you might think. The average car comprises of around 30,000 different pieces.
China producing cars
China produces a huge proportion of all the cars in the world each year. From 2008 to 2020, China was responsible for 32.5 per cent of the global production of cars.
Driving to the moon
Most people have driven long distances before, but have you ever wondered how long it would take to get to the moon? If you drove at a speed of 60mph consistently, it would take just under a month.
Record mileage in a single car
The highest mileage ever recorded from one car is 3,000,000 miles! Irving Gordon’s 1966 Volvo 1800S has stood the test of time and generally travels around 100,000 miles a year.
There are plenty of strange facts out there about cars. But most of them simply remind us that these are extremely complex and durable vehicles that make many inconvenient moments in life that little bit more convenient.
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