The auto industry has its fair share of incredible stories. The first automobile was invented in Germany in the 1800s, but America quickly dominated the industry in the beginning of the twentieth century. In the 1920s, the auto industry was the backbone of consumer society across the country, and in the early 1980s, one out of every six jobs throughout the nation were related to automobiles. Obviously, we are auto lovers here at Transmission City, and talking shop is something we love to do. Here are some cool facts you may not have known about the most popular mode of transportation in this country:

1. About 1.4 billion cars are currently being used around the world. This means there is an average of one car per seven people on the planet.
2. Every year, about 70 million cars are produced. This equates to about 170,000 per day. That’s a lot of vehicles.
3. The very first speeding ticket in the world was in 1902 by a reckless motorist driving a whopping 45 miles per hour.
4. Today’s Formula 1 cars produce about 3.5Gs while cornering, which means they can drive upside down in a tunnel at 120 miles per hour.
5. If you wanted to drive a car to the moon at 60 miles per hour, it’d take about a month. Who wants to try it first?
6. The first car made for the public was the Ford Model T in 1908. It initially cost around $850 but went down to about $260 in 1925 because of the invention of the assembly line.
7. There are over 30,000 individual parts in the average car. With this many unique pieces, it’s amazing they don’t break down more often!
8. If you know what a Rolls Royce is, you know it means quality. In fact, about 75% of all cars produced by Rolls Royce are still on the road today. It seems owners love these high-end cars.
9. Volkswagen is an auto tycoon—they own Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Ducati, and more!
10. The first car accident occurred in 1891, which prompted the use of safety equipment.
11. The world record for the removal and replacement of an engine is an astounding 42 seconds on a Ford Escort in November of 1985.
12. Driving may sound dangerous when you factor in that the odds of dying in a car crash is 1 in 5,000. The odds of dying in a plane crash is 1 in 11 million!
13. Ralph Teeter, the man who invented cruise control, was blind. He was hoping for a solution to make him a better driver.
14. The most popular color for a car is white, the least favorite color is purple.
15. The car with the highest known mileage is a 1966 Volvo 1800S with over 3.4 million miles.
16. The world’s fastest production car is the Hennessey Venom GT. IT can reach a top speed of 270.49 miles per hour, making it faster than the Bugatti Veyron by just 0.8 seconds.

For all things auto, stop in to your trusted local shop, Transmission City and Auto Specialists.