For most people, a car is nothing more than a medium used to get from point A to point B. However, just as there are interesting facts about humans, animals, landscapes and so forth, there are also some pretty amazing facts about cars. The following 10 facts will surprise you.
1. Your Fuel Gauge Tells You Which Side of the Car Your Fuel Tank is On
The fuel gauge lets you know when it’s time to top up. However, here’s an interesting fact about the fuel gauge. If you look at the gauge’s upper right corner, you should see a small fuel pump icon.
Next to it should be an arrow pointing to the left or right. It’s one of those small details that drivers probably don’t pay attention to. The arrow, though, actually indicates whether the fuel tank is on the left or right hand side of your vehicle.
2. A Horse Has Nothing to Do With Engine Horsepower
There is a recurring notion that a horse’s output is equivalent to one horsepower. Keep in mind that a horsepower is a unit measurement of mechanical power that is roughly equal to about 746 watts of energy. While it has absolutely nothing to do with a horse, the animal, on average, is only able to produce about 0.7 horsepower during intense bouts of activity.
3. Dashboards Preceded Automobiles
The dashboard in modern cars provides lots of information on the vehicle. However, did you know that dashboards were used in horse-drawn carriages long before the first vehicles came into existence? These early dashboards were made from wood and were installed as a mud guard.
4. The Most Expensive Speeding Ticket Ever Recorded Exceeded over $1 million
A speeding ticket normally runs somewhere in the three digit range. While that may seem pretty steep, it is nothing compared to a driver in Sweden who was fined over $1 million US dollars for going at a speed of 180 mph. In that country, fines are calculated according to the speed and the driver’s income.
5. There Are Over One Billion Cars in the World
There are over one billion vehicles in the world according to a 2010 estimate. That means that roughly one out of every six people owns a car. Also, 250 million of those vehicles are in the United States. This means that one-fourth of those vehicles are concentrated in a single country.
6. The New Car Smell Does not Come From The Upholstery
Every new car buyer relishes that new car smell. Most of it actually comes from the adhesives and sealers used to hold the plastic and metal parts together. The materials release a volatile organic compound that creates the smell that we have all come to associate with a brand new vehicle.
7. Your Skull Doubles The Range of Your Car Key Remote
Now we do not recommend this one, in fact we highly discourage it, but did you know that if you use your car key remote to unlock the door or to disable the alarm,by placing the remote next to your head you can increase the maximum range two-fold. Believe it or not, the skull actually acts as an amplifier.
8. The First Automobile Accident Occurred in 1771
Surprisingly, the first car accident occurred nearly 150 years before the release of the first vehicle. The first documented collision happened in 1771 when Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot invented and operated a steam-powered and self-propelled carriage. On the first test-drive, Cugnot lost control and collided into a wall.
9. The World’s Largest Street Vehicle Measures 30.8 Meters Long
The AutoTram Extra Grand, located in Dresden, Germany, currently holds the record as the world’s largest street-authorized vehicle. Stretching at nearly 31 metres, it can transport 256 passengers.
10. The Longest Serving Vehicle Remained in Operation for 82 years
A Rolls-Royce Piccadilly-P1 Roadster is the record holder as the longest serving vehicle. The car belonged to man named Allen West, who received the automobile as a graduation gift in 1928. West drove the car from then until his death in 2009 at the age of 102. The car can be seen at the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum in Massachusetts, United States.
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