Cars have become such a part of our lives that we barely give them a glance, save for maintaining and driving our own or crossing the road of course! However, when you think about the advances over the last century, the cars of today are truly an engineering and technical masterpiece! Here are some extraordinary cars that have even become record breaking:
Oldest Car – The oldest car in the world that is still functional dates from 1884. It is the La Marquise, a vehicle with four seats and is steam powered. It was manufactured by De Dion Bouton et Trepardoux in France and in 1887 it won the first automobile race in the world by travelling at a speed of around 26mph. It is fuelled with coal, paper and wood and takes half an hour to warm up!
Longest Car – The longest car in the world is 30.5 metres in length and has 26 wheels! This limousine in California even contains a swimming pool, diving board and king size bed for ultimate luxury travel. It can be driven in rigid mode or with the ability to bend in the middle.
Biggest Parade of Ferraris – At the Silverstone Circuit in the UK, an event was organised by Ferrari in September 2012 that saw 944 Ferraris come together. The event was organised by Ferrari North Europe Ltd. Every single car owes its existence to the essential industry of sheet metal fabrication. Find out more about methods including the use of Bending Machines at a site like www.cotswold-machinery-sales.co.uk/euromac/horizontal-bending-machines/
Biggest Parade of Classic Cars – Staged by Practico Events in Puerto Rico in 2017, a grand total of 2,491 classic cars were brought together in a parade, the majority of which were vehicles from the sixties and seventies.
Longest Kiss of a Car – We might love our cars but some are just determined to take it a step further! Ernesta Hernandez Ambrosio and Jesus Juarez Vite of Mexico spent a whopping 76 hours in 2013 kissing a car over the course of 4 days!
Land Speed Record – The official world record for the fastest land speed over one mile is held by the Thrust SSC as driven by Andy Green in October 1997. The record was set in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada by the Thrust SSC that reached speeds of 763 mph and broke the sound barrier.
Longest Car Ramp Jump – 81.99m was the distance of the world record setting longest car ramp jump that took place in Long Beach, California. The feat was achieved by Travis Pastrana at a Red Bull event staged on New Year’s Eve 2009.
Biggest Loop the Loop in a Car – This feat was achieved in Saudi Arabia by Terry Grant in November 2019. Terry completed a loop of 63 feet and 11 inches in a car.