Interesting Facts About CARS

Overview of cars in 1890's

A car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels. Here are some interesting facts about Cars :-

1. The first car was invented in the year 1672 by Ferdinand Verbiest.

2. The first cars did not have steering wheels. Drivers steered with a lever.

3. The first self-propelled car was invented by Nicolas Cugnot in 1769. It was designed with three wheels and an engine in the front along with the boiler. The car was able to run at a speed of 6 km/hr.

4. Jamshedji Tata was the first Indian to own a car. He bought a car in 1901.

5. World’s first motor-accident was in 1769. The vehicle is still preserved in the Conservatoire Nationale des Arts et Metiers in Paris

6. The first engine powered car was built in Mannheim, Germany by Karl Benz in 1885.

7. The first steam car was invented in 1769 by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot in France.

8.  The first gasoline automobile was made in 1885 by Karl Friedrich of Germany.

9.  The car that sold more than one million units in 1965, setting a record that even stands till date is the Chevrolet Impala.

10. Tata Nano is now the cheapest car in the world and is expected to out-sell the Maruti 800

11. The first auto insurance policy was purchased in in 1897 in Westfield, MA.

12. Windshield wipers were introduced by a woman.

13. An airbag moves up to 4500 mph within a second when triggered. A force of 200g is generated. They are designed to explode at an impact speed of 19 mph. The bag inflates within 40 milliseconds of a crash.

14. In 1924 a Ford automobile cost $265.

15. The word 'automobile' is a blend of French words 'auto' and 'mobile' which means self and moving respectively.