Whether you are a die-hard car enthusiast, we can all agree that automobiles are amazing. It’s hard to know everything about vehicles unless you work in the industry, yet even specialists sometimes fall short on awesome car facts. We list down some strange, bizarre, and mind-blowing interesting facts about cars in this post.
So, get ready for some of the best fun facts about cars:
Operational Car Facts
- To start an automobile, around half an ounce of petrol is required. Meanwhile, a human needs roughly 2.7 cups of coffee to get going!
- Airbags can travel at up to 4,500 miles per hour and deploy in less than 40 milliseconds after a collision. They’re meant to deploy at 19 mph impact speeds.
- A car’s average component count is over 30,000. There are so many distinct parts in a vehicle that knowing them all is nearly difficult for the ordinary car owner. Therefore, when your vehicle has a problem, it is critical to engage a qualified expert to repair it.
- Every year, more than $60 billion in car maintenance is left undone. If you need an oil change, tyre rotation, or other maintenance services, schedule an appointment with a mechanic as soon as possible to avoid contributing to the $60 billion in uncompleted car maintenance.
- The average car’s internal computer contains more than 100 miles of code.
- Annual maintenance, diagnostics, and other repairs should cost around $400 for the average vehicle owner. That’s a lot less than the expense of future care!
- Every year, almost 900 million oil changes are performed. Therefore, it is critical to have your oil changed regularly.
- Every year, three billion gallons of gas are wasted due to traffic congestion.
- The original automobiles lacked steering wheels. Instead, a lever was used to control them.
- Faulty oxygen sensors are responsible for 40% of all check engine light issues.
Automotive History Fun Facts
- The origin of the word “Car” is from the Latin word “Carrum,” which means “two-wheeled Celtic battle chariot.”
- Volvo means “I roll” in Latin.
- A Woman Named Mary Anderson Invented Windshield Wipers. She designed windshield wipers in 1905 to alleviate the inconvenience of driving in the rain or snow.
- It’s Been Over 50 Years Since Antilock Brakes Were Invented. Antilock brakes were initially developed in the 1920s and became increasingly common in the 1990s. Antilock braking systems, or ABS, are now standard in most new automobiles.
- Henry Ford coined the term “tune-up.” During the Development of His First Automobile Prototype, Henry Ford spent a lot of time working on the car, and he realized that the coils buzzed when they functioned together properly. If the coils didn’t generate the buzzing sound, they required a “tune-up,” as he later referred to them.
- The EV1, also known as the first mass-produced electric automobile, was developed by General Motors in the 1990s. Many drivers are now electing to acquire an electric vehicle to lessen their carbon footprint.
- In 1895, the world’s first automobile race took place, with a winning speed of 15 miles per hour.
- In 1905, brake lights were invented. Before brake lights were invented, many drivers used hand signals to let others know where.
- Chevrolet introduced the first automobile radio in 1922. The government attempted to prohibit it since it could be deemed a source of distraction, but the prohibition was unsuccessful.
- In 1959, the first three-point seatbelt was released. The Volvo Amazon 120 and PV 544 were the first vehicles to include the modern three-point seatbelt. Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin is credited with developing the seatbelts.
- Most car horns were tuned to E flat or C until the mid-1960s. Many automakers have included the notes F sharp and A sharp since then.
- The first gas gauge was not placed until 1922, even though 1886 is considered the birth year of the modern automobile.
Car Manufacturer Fun Facts
- The Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car of all time. Since 1966, Toyota has sold almost 43 million Toyota Corollas! This model is incredibly popular since it is widely available throughout the world. It is constantly updated and improved, gets decent gas mileage, and is well-known for being a dependable car.
- Toyota is the world’s largest automobile manufacturer. Every day, Toyota produces almost 13,000 automobiles!
- The Ferrari factory produces only 14 automobiles every day. That’s a huge difference from Toyota’s daily production of 13,000 automobiles! Because of the small number of automobiles made, they are more exclusive and desirable.
- Prohibition prompted the formation of NASCAR. Moonshiners needed to carry their booze swiftly without raising suspicion, which led to the development of fast cars capable of outrunning highway patrol cars.
- Audi’s rings are among the most well-known recognizable logos. Audi’s four overlapping rings reflect the four Auto Union manufacturers: Audi, Horch, DKW, and Wanderer.
- To honor Italian fighter pilot and World War I hero Count Francesco Barraca, Ferrari automobiles were painted with a horse shape on a yellow backdrop. And this is how Ferrari got its logo.
- The Swallow Sidecar Co. was the initial name of the British car firm Jaguar, which was renamed SS Cars in 1934. After World Conflict II, the corporation changed its name because of the Nazi SS’s infamous reputation as a paramilitary group that committed atrocities over most of Europe during the war.
- The Volkswagen Beetle is one of the most popular automobiles globally. The firm announced in 2018 that after 80 years of production, the car would be phased out the following year. The “Bug” began in 1938 when Nazi leader Adolf Hitler tasked engineer Ferdinand Porsche to create an essential, cost-effective car for the German people.
Other Amazing Facts
- The “New Car Smell” comprises around 50 volatile organic compounds. Because it contains dangerous substances, most car manufacturers are working to develop ways to eliminate this odor.
- Only 5% of your car’s lifetime is spent on the road. It will remain parked overnight or while not in use for the rest of its life. This is why it’s critical to store your automobile in a secure location such as a private garage or driveway.
- You may have observed that when the driver honks the horn, most cars sound the same, but did you know that car horns normally honk in the key of F? The most prevalent sounds are F and F#, but other keys can also be heard.
- In 2010, the average age of cars on the road was 10.6 years; in 2019, it was 11.8 years. As newer vehicles are created with more intricate technology, allowing them to have a longer lifespan, this number is likely to rise.
- The most popular car colors are white, black, and grey, as you would have surmised from glancing at the cars on the road. However, colors like purple, orange, and yellow, which are brighter and less common, are more challenging.
- The car’s electrical system contains roughly 40 pounds of copper, and non-electrical systems have about 10 pounds of copper. So there’s a lot of copper wiring and pieces in that picture.
- Only one in every three technicians passes the ASE certification exam on the first attempt. Because cars are complicated and numerous pieces, the certification test is quite demanding.
- Ninety percent of drivers admit to signing while driving.
- The automobile is the world’s most recycled consumer product.
- Once, a car clocked the greatest mileage of 2,850,000 miles, which is the equivalent of going around the world 100 times.