10 fun facts from the car world to spice up your small talk
Small talk can be dull. Unless, of course, you have some fabulous, fun factoids about something everyone is familiar with – cars and driving.It turns out that the automotive world has plenty of surprising conversation starters that will break the ice at a party, in an awkward situation, or on a date.
1. The distance from the Earth to the moon (384,400km) is the same as if you drove from Perth to Brisbane (43,12km) 89 times. The current fuel cost, however, would probably make flying less expensive!
2. The world’s most expensive car sold for a record €135 million ($A203m) million in May 2022. The very pricey buy was a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut. It far exceeded the previous record-setting $66 million for a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO at a 2018 auction.
3. Think electric cars are something new? The first electric vehicle was created in 1832 by Scottish inventor Robert Anderson. We had to wait until 1996 for General Motors to come up with the first, mass-produced, electric car the EV1.
4. The oldest-ever driver title is shared by two Americans named Fred Hale Senior and Layne Hall. Both were issued with a driving licence at the age of 104. There is no record of whether they travelled at 30km an hour in the overtaking lane.
5. Ralph Teetor, the man who invented cruise control, was blind. He was inspired by his lawyer, who legend goes, was a very bad driver with a jerky accelerator foot.
6. Although Lady Gaga only passed her driving test in 2016, she has already amassed a collection of cars to make anyone envious. They include a Chevy El Camino, two Rolls Royce Phantoms, a Porsche Boxter and Lamborghini Huracan.
7. The first woman to drive around Australia was Marion Bell, in 1926, accompanied by her 11-year-old daughter.
8. The Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car in the world, with more than 1.1 million models sold in 2020 alone. It is estimated that the Corolla has sold over 32 million units in its lifetime.
9. The largest speeding fine ever reported was for $314,272, to a Swiss driver who was caught doing 137km an hour in an 80km zone. The man was driving a red, Ferrari Testarossa, and the court calculated his penalty based on his wealth.
10. The most dangerous car colour is black. The safest? White, gold and yellow, according to a study by Monash University. According to another study, by Autogenie, purple, green, orange and yellow, are the least favourite car colours.
Related: A guide to incorporating car talk into real life
Related: Here’s the car trivia from film and TV you need to know before you bingewatch
Related: Eight fun facts about parking meters you didn’t know
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