Car Facts and Trivia
The first cars did not have steering wheels. Drivers steered with a lever. The New York City Police Department used bicycles to pursue speeding motorists in 1898.
The first speeding ticket was issued in 1902.
In 1916, 55 percent of the cars in the world were Model T Fords, a record that has never been beaten.
The first gas gauge appeared in cars in 1922.
In 1923, 173 new inventions by women for cars had been reported. Among these inventions were a carburetor and an electric engine starter.
The first car radio was invented in 1929.
Buick introduced the first electric turn signals in 1938.
The Peanuts characters were first animated in 1957 for a Ford Fairlaine automobile commercial.
Most American car horns beep in the key of F.
The automobile is the most recycled consumer product in the world today.
In Tokyo, a bicycle is faster than a car for most trips of less than 50 minutes!
The 1st automobile racetrack in the US was the Indianapolis Motor Speedway which consists of 3 million cobblestones.
In its 1st year the VW Beetle sold only 330 cars in the United States.
Women spend more than $65 million on new cars and trucks, influence 80 percent of all new car purchases, and will buy 60 percent of new cars in 2001.
In 1916, 55 percent of the cars in the world were Model T Fords, a record that has never been beaten.
135 million cars travel the nation's roads and interstates each day.
The first Ford cars had Dodge engines.
One seventh of the new auto/truck sales in the US are in Southern California.
The average 1999 model year automobile cost $5,674 per year to own and operate.
In the 1970's cars were scrapped almost twice as often as small trucks, but over the years cars have become more durable and in 1999 the scrappage rate was almost equal.
The city with the most Rolls Royce's per capita is Hong Kong.
Windshield wipers were invented by a woman.
The brake light in the rear windows was put there after a suggestion by Elizabeth Dole.
The first person to win the Indianapolis 500 at a speed of over 100 MPH without a relief driver was Billy Arnold who won in 1930 with an average speed of 100.448 MPH.
The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At the time, the most known player on the market was the Victrola, so they called themselves Motorola.
In 2002 30% of the cars sold were SUVs.
Top Ten Most Stolen Cars
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) reports that approximately 1.2 million vehicles are stolen in the U.S. every year, or one every 30 seconds. More from the NICB: The cost of vehicle theft to consumers is more than $7.5 billion annually.
Although public fear of victimization is low, one of every 170 vehicles is stolen each year.
At least 21 percent of all car owners do not lock their car doors.
Trafficking in stolen vehicles is the second-most profitable criminal activity behind drug dealing.
Listed below are the top ten most stolen vehicles in the U.S., according to the NICB Database (figures from 1999):
Honda Accord
Toyota Camry
Oldsmobile Cutlass
Chevrolet Full-Size Pickup
Honda Civic
Toyota Corolla
Jeep Cherokee
Chevrolet Caprice
Ford Taurus
Chevrolet Cavalier
The first cars did not have steering wheels. Drivers steered with a lever. The New York City Police Department used bicycles to pursue speeding motorists in 1898.
The first speeding ticket was issued in 1902.
In 1916, 55 percent of the cars in the world were Model T Fords, a record that has never been beaten.
The first gas gauge appeared in cars in 1922.
In 1923, 173 new inventions by women for cars had been reported. Among these inventions were a carburetor and an electric engine starter.
The first car radio was invented in 1929.
Buick introduced the first electric turn signals in 1938.
The Peanuts characters were first animated in 1957 for a Ford Fairlaine automobile commercial.
Most American car horns beep in the key of F.
The automobile is the most recycled consumer product in the world today.
In Tokyo, a bicycle is faster than a car for most trips of less than 50 minutes!
The 1st automobile racetrack in the US was the Indianapolis Motor Speedway which consists of 3 million cobblestones.
In its 1st year the VW Beetle sold only 330 cars in the United States.
Women spend more than $65 million on new cars and trucks, influence 80 percent of all new car purchases, and will buy 60 percent of new cars in 2001.
In 1916, 55 percent of the cars in the world were Model T Fords, a record that has never been beaten.
135 million cars travel the nation's roads and interstates each day.
The first Ford cars had Dodge engines.
One seventh of the new auto/truck sales in the US are in Southern California.
The average 1999 model year automobile cost $5,674 per year to own and operate.
In the 1970's cars were scrapped almost twice as often as small trucks, but over the years cars have become more durable and in 1999 the scrappage rate was almost equal.
The city with the most Rolls Royce's per capita is Hong Kong.
Windshield wipers were invented by a woman.
The brake light in the rear windows was put there after a suggestion by Elizabeth Dole.
The first person to win the Indianapolis 500 at a speed of over 100 MPH without a relief driver was Billy Arnold who won in 1930 with an average speed of 100.448 MPH.
The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At the time, the most known player on the market was the Victrola, so they called themselves Motorola.
In 2002 30% of the cars sold were SUVs.
Top Ten Most Stolen Cars
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) reports that approximately 1.2 million vehicles are stolen in the U.S. every year, or one every 30 seconds. More from the NICB: The cost of vehicle theft to consumers is more than $7.5 billion annually.
Although public fear of victimization is low, one of every 170 vehicles is stolen each year.
At least 21 percent of all car owners do not lock their car doors.
Trafficking in stolen vehicles is the second-most profitable criminal activity behind drug dealing.
Listed below are the top ten most stolen vehicles in the U.S., according to the NICB Database (figures from 1999):
Honda Accord
Toyota Camry
Oldsmobile Cutlass
Chevrolet Full-Size Pickup
Honda Civic
Toyota Corolla
Jeep Cherokee
Chevrolet Caprice
Ford Taurus
Chevrolet Cavalier