On Space Shuttle Endeavor, astronaut John Grunsfeld called into NPR’s Car Talk and asked why his government vehicle was shaking violently for a couple minutes before the engine died.
Hitler sanctioned the construction of a six-wheeled…
Hitler sanctioned the construction of a six-wheeled 3,000hp Mercedes-Benz intended to break the land speed record. It was 27ft long and made its power from a 44.5 liter V12.
A man who ran a Chevy dealership by himself for 50 years…
A man who ran a Chevy dealership by himself for 50 years had some 500 cars in storage from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s that just sat, one of which had just over 1 mile on the odometer. They sold most of the cars for $2.8m at auction.
The average Bugatti customer has about…
The average Bugatti customer has about 84 cars, 3 jets and one yacht.
Auto manufacturers do occasionally have senses of humor…
Auto manufacturers do occasionally have senses of humor, and many of them use April Fool’s Day to show it off. Here are a few examples: As an April Fool’s joke, Audi once advertised a car with a built-in rice cooker in Japan. Volkswagen’s Extra Tiny Van, 2015 The German brand proposed the Caddy Maxi Mini, […]
In 1986, ’60 Minutes’ ran a scathing exposé…
In 1986, ’60 Minutes’ ran a scathing exposé on the Audi 5000, alleging it could wildly accelerate on its own. However, their on-air demonstration used a rigged car to show falsified results. Gov’t tests later vindicated Audi but their sales had already plummeted. ’60 Minutes’ never apologized. The “60 Minutes” whitewash of Audi wasn’t the […]
Hummer drivers were statistically the worst drivers on…
Hummer drivers were statistically the worst drivers on the road, averaging 5x more traffic violations than any other vehicle.
From 1969 to 1977, Ford Motor Company produced the Pinto…
From 1969 to 1977, Ford Motor Company produced the Pinto with full knowledge of a design flaw that frequently caused the fuel tank to catch fire during rear collisions, which would have cost $11 per vehicle to fix. The tag line in radio ads was, “Pinto leaves you with that warm feeling.”
Volkswagen was sued by Czechoslovakian car maker Tatra before WWII…
Volkswagen was sued by Czechoslovakian car maker Tatra before WWII because the original Beetle was so similar to the Tatra T97. After Germany invaded Czechoslovakia in 1938 the lawsuit was cancelled by the Nazis.
Nissan used the number 23 in racing because the number 2 translates…
Nissan used the number 23 in racing because the number 2 translates to ni. And, the number 3 translates to san. 23 translates to ni-san.