List of automotive superlatives

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This page lists superlatives of the automobile industry - that is, the smallest, largest, fastest, lightest, best-selling, and other such topics.

In order to keep the entries relevant, the list (except for the Firsts section) will be limited to automobiles built after World War II. Many odd vehicles emerged in the early days of the automobile industry. There is a section for early superlatives, however.

The list will also be limited to production road cars that meet the following conditions:

  1. 20 or more examples must have been made by the original vehicle manufacturer and offered for commercial sale to the public in new condition - cars modified by either professional tuners or individuals are not eligible
  2. They must be street-legal in their intended markets and capable of passing any tests or inspections required to be granted this status
  3. They must have been built for retail sale to consumers for their personal use on public roads - no commercial or industrial vehicles are eligible


Some notes about units of measurement used herein...

Engine capacity/displacement

  • 1 liter = 1,000 cubic centimeters = 61.0237 cubic inches
  • 1 cubic inch = 16.3871 cubic centimeters

Engine output

Power

  • 1 horsepower (hp) = 1 brake horsepower (bhp) = 1.0139 metric horsepower (PS) = 0.7457 kilowatts (kW)
  • 1 metric horsepower = 0.9863 horsepower = 0.7355 kilowatts
  • 1 kilowatt = 1.3410 horsepower = 1.3596 metric horsepower

Torque

  • 1 pound-foot of torque (lb-ft) = 1.3558 Newton-meter (Nm)
  • 1 Newton-meter = 0.7376 pound-feet

Fuel economy

  • 1 mile per US Gallon = 1.2009 miles per Imperial Gallon = 0.4252 kilometers per liter = 235.208 liters per 100 kilometers
  • 1 mile per Imperial Gallon = 0.8327 miles per US Gallon = 0.3540 kilometers per liter = 282.4731 liters per 100 kilometers
  • 1 kilometer per liter = 2.3521 miles per US Gallon = 2.8247 miles per Imperial Gallon
  • 1 liter per 100 kilometers = 235.208 miles per US Gallon = 282.4731 miles per Imperial Gallon

Engine capacity

  • V6
    • Smallest V6 engine (gasoline) - 1.6 L (1597 cc/97 in³) - 1992 Mitsubishi Lancer 6A10
    • Smallest V6 engine (Diesel) - 2.5 L (2496 cc/152 in³) - 1996 Audi/VW 2.5 TDI (in multiple cars)
    • Largest V6 engine (gasoline) - 4.3 L (4300 cc/262 in³) - 1985 GM Vortec 4300
    • Largest V6 engine (Diesel) - 4.3 L (4304 cc/262 in³) - 1982 GM LT6
  • V12
    • Smallest V12 engine - 2.0 L (1995 cc/122 in³) - 1948 Ferrari 166 Inter Colombo
    • Largest V12 engine - 7.3 L (7291c cc/445 in³)- 2002 Pagani Zonda C12S AMG-Mercedes
      • Honorable mention: The TVR Cerbera Speed 12 prototype had 7730 cc but the car never entered production.
Note: The 6.0 L (366 in³) V16 in the 1995 Cizeta-Moroder V16T is the only post-war V16 production engine. A 13.6 L V16 was used in the General Motors concept car Cadillac Sixteen.

Dimensions

Overall

Wheelbase

Track

Weight

  • Lightest passenger vehicle (3 wheels) - 59 kg (132 lb) DIN - 1962 Peel P50
  • Lightest passenger vehicle (4 wheels) - 350 kg (770 lb) DIN - 1956 Isetta
  • Heaviest passenger vehicle - 3428 kg (7558 lb) curb weight - 2006 Hummer H1 Alpha

Other

Power

Most power

  • Petrol/gasoline - (naturally-aspirated) - 485 kW (660 PS/651 hp) - 2003 Ferrari Enzo V12 (Note: the Enzo's status is disputed since the car was not available for sale to the public but to a private group of individuals selected by Ferrari)
    • Honorable mention: 461 kW (627hp) - McLaren F1 (note: the McLaren is listed by various sources as having both 627bhp as well as 627PS - due to the lack of a definitive rating, the power is listed here as 627 horsepower)
    • Honorable mention: 465 kW (632 PS/624 hp) - 2004 Maserati MC12
    • Honorable mention: The TVR Cerbera Speed 12 prototype produced an estimated 701 kW (953 PS/940 hp) (the central shaft of TVR's dynamometer snapped before they could complete the test) but the car never entered production
    • Front-wheel drive: 287 kW (385 hp) (gross) 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado
  • Petrol/Gasoline - (forced-induction) - 601 kW (817 PS/806 hp) - 2004 Koenigsegg CCR supercharged V8
  • Diesel - 243 kW (330 PS/326 hp) - BMW M67, 2006 BMW 745d

Most torque

  • Petrol (naturally-aspirated) - 2003 Dodge Viper SRT-10 - 712 Nm (525 ft·lbf) - 8.3 liter (505 in³) V10 engine.
  • Petrol (forced-induction) - 2003 Mercedes CL 65 AMG - 1000 Nm (736 ft·lbf) - 6.0 liter (366 in³) turbocharged V12 engine.
  • Diesel - 2005 Dodge Ram (Cummins 610 Turbodiesel), 826 Nm (610 ft·lbf)

Most specific power (power to weight ratio)

  • 100–200 hp — 288.75 hp/ton (7.6 lb/hp) — Lotus 340R, 190 hp (142 kW) and 658 kg (1451 lb)
  • 200–300 hp — 266 hp/ton (8.5 lb/hp) — 1994 TVR Griffith 4.3 liter 280 hp (209 kW) and 1080 kg (2381 lb)
    • 657 bhp/ton (3.0 lb/hp) — Ariel Atom 2 supercharged 300 bhp (224 kW) and 456 kg (1005 lb) (Can now be made road legal in many states of the US with local production starting late 2005)
  • 300–400 hp — 381 hp/ton (5.8 lb/hp) — 2003 TVR Tuscan S 400 hp (298 kW) and 1050 kg (2315 lb)
  • 400+ hp — 620 bhp/ton (3.2 lb/hp) — 2004 Koenigsegg CCR supercharged V8 806 hp (468 kW) and 1180 kg (2513 lb)

Most specific engine output (power per unit volume)

Note: This output is available in the Japanese market only
  • Honorable mention: 168 hp (125.3 kW)/liter - 2002 Radical Motorsport SR3 (252 hp (184 kW) 1.5 L I4) - (Note: The Radical's status as a production car is disputed, and numbers refer to the competition version, there is no official data for the road version)

Most specific torque (torque per unit volume)

  • Petrol (naturally-aspirated) - 114 Nm (84 ft.lbf)/litre (370 Nm (273 ft.lbf)) - 2003 BMW M3 CSL
  • Petrol (forced-induction) - 206.6 Nm (152.2 ft.lbf)/litre (412 Nm (304 ft.lbf)) - 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STi (japanese market)
    • Honorable mention: 233.6 Nm (172.1 ft.lbf)/litre - 700 Nm/516 ft.lbf Dauer 962, road-going Porsche 962 replica
  • Petrol (naturally-aspirated rotary engine) - 170.8 Nm (126.2 ft.lbf)/litre (222 Nm (164 ft.lbf)) - 2005 Mazda RX-8
  • Petrol (forced-induction rotary engine) - 226.3 Nm (166.9 ft.lbf)/litre (294 Nm (217 ft.lbf)) - 1995 Mazda RX-7 Turbo
  • Diesel - 187.1 Nm (138 ft.lbf)/litre (560 Nm (413 ft.lbf)) - 2005 BMW 535d

Least specific engine output (power per unit volume)

  • Petrol - 22.5 hp (16.8 kW)/litre (115 hp (85.8 kW) 5.1 L V8) - 1973 Chevrolet 307
  • Diesel - 18.4 hp (13.7 kW)/litre (105 hp (78.3 kW) 5.7 L V8) - 1980 Oldsmobile LF9 engine

Performance

  • Highest USA EPA mileage - 61/66 mpg (3.9/3.6 L/100 km) - 2005 Honda Insight 5-speed
  • Lowest EU average fuel consumption - 2.99 L/100 km (78.6 mpg (US)) - 2002 VW Lupo 1.2 TDI 5-speed
  • Quickest 0-60 mph (roughly equal to 0-100 km/h):
    • 2.1 s - 1984 Ford RS200 Evo
      • Honorable mention - 2.8 seconds - 2005 Ultima GTR [1] - (Note: production numbers for GTR are not available and the GTR's status as a "production car" is disputed)
    • Sports car (4 seat) - 3.8 s - 2000 TVR Cerbera (4.5 liter version)
    • 4-door car - 3.5 s - 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII FQ400 2.0 L (Note: the FQ400's status as a "production car" is disputed)
    • Pickup truck - 4.9 s - 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10
  • Quickest 0-100-0 mph:
    • Sports car (2 seat) - 11.5 sec - McLaren F1 LM (Note: this is the best 0-100-0 time for an undisputed production car)
      • Honorable mention: 9.8 seconds - 2005 Ultima GTR [2] - (Note: production numbers for GTR are not available and the GTR's status as a "production car" is disputed)
      • Honorable mention: 10.73 sec - 2004 Caterham 500 - (Note: the Caterham's status as a "production car" is disputed)
      • Honorable mention: 10.88 sec - Ariel Atom 2 300 Supercharged - (Note: in a 2005 issue of the car magazine, Autocar, the Ariel Atom 2 was tested and completed the 0-100-0 run in the time shown)
  • Highest top speed:

Sales

See also List of bestselling vehicle nameplates
  • Best-selling models:
    • Best-selling car nameplate - Toyota Corolla (more than 27,000,000 sold in nine generations since 1966)
    • Best-selling vehicle nameplate - Ford F-Series (more than 29,000,000 sold since 1948)
    • Best-selling single model - Volkswagen Beetle (more than 21,000,000 of the same basic design sold worldwide between 1947 and 2003)
    • Best-selling sports car - Ford Mustang (more than 7,800,000 of five generations sold between 1964 and 2004)
    • Best-selling 2-seat car - Mazda Roadster/MX-5/Miata (more than 700,000 of two generations sold between 1989 and 2004)
    • Best single-year sales - over 912,000 - 2004 Ford F-150 (23 years in a row as the top-selling single vehicle, 28 years as the best-selling truck in the USA)
    • Best-selling American Sedan - Ford Taurus (more than 7,000,000 sold in 4.5 generations sold between 1986 and 2006)
  • Lowest-production models: (excluding limited-production vehicles)
    • Pickup truck - avg. 223 per month, Lincoln Blackwood (3,356 sold in 15 months)
    • Sports car - avg. 6 per month, Toyota 2000GT (337 sold in 5 years)
      • Honorable mention: avg. 79 per month, Bricklin SV-1 (2,857 sold in 3 years)
    • SUV - avg. 4 per month, Lamborghini LM002 (301 sold in 6 years)
      • Honorable mention: avg. 200 per month, Suzuki X-90 (7,205 sold in 3 years)
  • Marques and manufacturers:

Firsts

Full-production vehicles are listed here. Many were preceded by racing-only cars.

Engine types

  • W16
    • The Bugatti Veyron is expected to be the first production car from a major manufacturer to use a W16 engine, however, several smaller firms have either developed prototyped or produced small numbers of cars - including the Jimenez Novia which used a 4.1 liter W16 based on four I4 Yamaha motorcycle engines.
  • W18
    • No production cars yet are known to use a W-18 configuration, however Bugatti has experimented with both three-bank and four-bank designed for various concept cars.

Engine technologies

Body

Transmission

Layout

Suspension

Brakes

Driver-aids

Passive-restraint

Tires

  • First use of pneumatic tires - 1895 Peugeot L'Eclair (Michelin)
  • First standard pneumatic tires - 1896 Bollee Voiturette
  • First radial-ply tires - 1949 Michelin "X" (patented in 1946)
  • First self-repairing tires - 1950 Goodyear

Lighting/electrical


Other

American types

Pre-War

  • Best-selling pre-war vehicle - Ford Model-T (15,000,000 sold between 1908 and 1928)
  • Least-expensive full-featured automobile - 1927 Ford Model-T ($300 is about $3500 in inflation-adjusted 2005 dollars)
  • Largest vehicle - Bugatti Royale - 21 ft (6.4 m) long, 180 in (4.57 m) or 170 in (4.32 m) wheelbase depending on model
  • Largest pre-war I4 - 21.5 L (21495 cc) - 1912 Benz 82/200
  • Largest pre-war I6 - 21.1 L (21112 cc) - 1905 Panhard et Levassor 50 CV
  • Largest pre-war I8 - 12.8 L (12763 cc/778 in³) - 1929 Bugatti Royale

See also

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