1. The first person charged with a speeding offence was in 1896
A speed camera next to a road
Walter Arnold was fined when he was caught breaking the speed limit travelling at 8mph in Paddock Wood, Kent. He was chased down by a police officer on a bicycle and was charged for breaking the law on four counts.
2. The Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car of all time
An old Toyota Corolla parked on the pavement
It is estimated that Toyota has sold around 45 million units of the Corolla since its debut in 1966. Its popularity lies in its worldwide availability, affordability, and efficiency. The Corolla is followed in all-time sales by the Ford F-Series, Volkswagen Golf, and Volkswagen Beetle.
3. The dashboard first existed on horse-drawn carriages
A horse and carriage in black and white
The word ‘dashboard’ originates from the wooden barrier that was fixed to the front of a horse-drawn carriage to protect the driver from mud that’d be kicked up by the horse's hooves as they ran.
4. The Mercedes-Benz W125 held a speed record for almost 80 years
A black and white image of an old race car
In 1938, the Mercedes-Benz W125 set the world record of travelling 268.8mph over a flying km on a public road. This record lasted almost 80 years until the Koenigsegg Agera RS surpassed it in 2017.
5. The last car produced with a cassette player was the Ford Crown Victoria in 2011
A computer-generated image of a Ford Crown Victoria
The Ford Crown Victoria lasted longer than any other car in offering the option for a cassette player. The Lexus SC430 was the last car to have a cassette player factory installed.
40 Rare Car Facts Most Drivers Never Heard About
Video by BRIGHT SIDE
6. The highest mileage on a personal car is over 3 million miles
An old red car driving down a road
The world record was set by Irvin Gordon on his 1966 Volvo 1800S. Irvin would drive on a daily basis and cover around 100,000 miles per year. His total mileage is equivalent to nearly 120 complete circumnavigations of the planet.
7. San Marino has the most cars per 1,000 people in the world
A castle on the edge of a cliff
There are roughly 1.2 cars per person in San Marino. With only around 140 miles of road, many of the people in San Marino are passionate about classic cars.
8. Holding a key fob to your head will extend its unlocking range
Car keys on a desk
This has to do with the fluid in your skull. The electromagnetic waves from the fob pass through the water molecules in your head, causing them to radiate energy at the same frequency as the original signal. This combination amplifies the range of the signal.
9. The record speeding fine was around £656,000
A winding road
Dear Lykkers! A Swedish man holds the record for the most expensive speeding fine when he was caught driving 180mph in a 72mph zone in Switzerland. Under Swiss laws, fines are determined by the speed and the wealth of the driver. The fine totalled around £656,000 and his Mercedes SLS AMG was impounded too.
10. 35% of the world's population drives on the left
A sign in a tunnel saying use left lane
Most of the countries that drive on the left are islands such as Britain, Japan, and Australia and don't border right-sided nations. However, exceptions like Thailand or Macau have had to come up with their own ways of switching cars over to the left as they pass over their borders.
11. The inventor of the cruise control was blind
A close-up of a car's speedometer
Ralph Teetor came up with the idea whilst being driven by his lawyer, who kept speeding up and slowing down every time he talked. The inconsistency in his driving frustrated Teetor, prompting him to create the cruise control in the 1940s.
12. Automatic transmissions are beginning to outsell manuals in the UK
The interior of a car
For the first time ever, more cars with automatic transmissions were sold in the UK than manual gearboxes in 2020. With the growing number of Electric Vehicles that don't require gearboxes, manual cars are becoming a dying breed.
