Portal:Cars

The Cars Portal

Cars and trucks driving on a divided highway, Highway 401 in Ontario, Canada

A car (or automobile) is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transportation. Most definitions of cars say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than goods.

Cars came into global use during the 20th century, and developed economies depend on them. The year 1886 is regarded as the birth year of the car when German inventor Karl Benz patented his Benz Patent-Motorwagen. Cars became widely available in the early 20th century. One of the first cars accessible to the masses was the 1908 Model T, an American car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. Cars were rapidly adopted in the US, where they replaced animal-drawn carriages and carts. In Europe and other parts of the world, demand for automobiles did not increase until after World War II.

Cars have controls for driving, parking, passenger comfort, and a variety of lights. Over the decades, additional features and controls have been added to vehicles, making them progressively more complex. These include rear-reversing cameras, air conditioning, navigation systems, and in-car entertainment. Most cars in use in the early 2020s are propelled by an internal combustion engine, fueled by the combustion of fossil fuels. Electric cars, which were invented early in the history of the car, became commercially available in the 2000s and are predicted to cost less to buy than gasoline cars before 2025. The transition from fossil fuels to electric cars features prominently in most climate change mitigation scenarios, such as Project Drawdown's 100 actionable solutions for climate change. (Full article...)

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SS Turbocharged (left) and Supercharged (right) coupes

The Chevrolet Cobalt SS comprises three sport compact versions of the Chevrolet Cobalt that were built on the General Motors Delta platform at Lordstown Assembly in Ohio, United States. The three versions included two forced induction inline-four Ecotec engines and a third naturally aspirated engine that was later called the Cobalt Sport. SS is an abbreviation of Super Sport, a historic moniker used by Chevrolet to denote high performance upgrades that meet certain criteria.

The Cobalt SS was GM's first foray into the tuner market, launching as a 205 hp (153 kW; 208 PS) supercharged 2.0 L coupe in late 2004, paired only with the F35 5-speed manual transmission of Opel. The following year, a naturally aspirated 1SS model equipped with GM's new 2.4 L 171 hp (128 kW; 173 PS) engine was added in both coupe and sedan body styles, including automatic and manual transmission options. Production of the supercharged coupe continued until 2007, and after a brief hiatus the SS relaunched in the second quarter of 2008 with a more efficient and powerful turbocharged 2.0 L engine producing 260 hp (194 kW; 264 PS) before all Cobalt production ended in 2010. (See timeline). (Full article...)

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The Mini Moke is a small, front-wheel-drive utility and recreational convertible, manufactured and marketed originally by British Motor Corporation (BMC), and subsequently marketed under the Austin, Morris and Leyland brands.

Designed by Sir Alec Issigonis and John Sheppard, the Mini Moke is noted for its simple, straightforward, doorless design, and its adaptability. Originally prototyped as a lightweight military vehicle using the engine, transmission and suspension parts from the Mini van, the design's small wheels and low ground clearance made it unsuitable as an off-road military vehicle. The design was subsequently offered in civilian form as a low-cost, easily maintained vehicle, achieving global popularity as a lightweight, recreational and utility vehicle. (Full article...)

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DMC DeLorean Mini Mercedes-Benz C-Class (W205) Volkswagen Beetle Le Mans Prototype Mercedes-Benz BMW General Motors Chrysler Ford Motor Company Maserati Lamborghini Volkswagen Hyundai Motor Company Pickup truck Electric car Buick Toyota Honda Ford Taurus Autobianchi Primula Lancia Flaminia Sedan (automobile)

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Mercedes-Benz C 180 Cabriolet

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Bertha Ringer, circa 1871, as she became Carl Benz's business partner

Bertha Benz (pronunciation, née Cäcilie Bertha Ringer; 3 May 1849 – 5 May 1944) was a German automotive pioneer and inventor. She was the business partner and wife of automobile inventor Carl Benz. On 5 August 1888, she was the first person to drive an internal-combustion-engined automobile over a long distance, field testing the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, inventing brake lining and solving several practical issues during the journey of 105km (65 miles). In doing so, she brought the Patent-Motorwagen worldwide attention and got the company its first sales. (Full article...)

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J. B. Straubel Nikolaus Otto Michelle Christensen Edward T. Welburn Leilani Munter Elwood Haynes Karl-Gottfried Nordmann Henry Ford Sabine Schmitz

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On this day December 1

1914 — Maserati is founded

1955 — The Saab 93 is introduced

1989 — Ford Motor Company acquires Jaguar Cars for $2.5 billion.

2005 — Production of the GMT900 SUVs begins

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Selected quote of the day

When you drive from Melbourne to Broken Hill, as I did recently, you find you want to do it in a bigger, more comfortable car. If consumers bought what they wanted to buy there would always be (plenty) who would buy a full-size car.

—Denny Mooney

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Did you know...

...that the racing version of the Dauer 962 Le Mans, winner of 1994 24 Hours of Le Mans, is a roadcar converted from a Porsche 962 racecar, which dominated Le Mans, Group C and IMSA during the 1980s.
...that the 25 Millionth VW Golf rolled off the production line in Wolfsburg in March 2007. The first Golf started production in 1974, 33 years later the 1.4 litre TSI version became the 25 Millionth car.
...that the nearly identical Ford Model T engines were produced for exactly 12,000 days
...that the first production turbocharged cars were General Motors' A-body 1962 Chevrolet Corvair and Oldsmobile F-85?
...that Jeep introduced the 1993 Grand Cherokee and 2007 Wrangler in the same way — by driving them through a plate glass window?
...that a small number of Renault 20s, badged as Dacia 2000, were made in the 1980s by Dacia in Romania for Romanian communist dignitaries of that time?
...that the Autobianchi Primula was the Fiat's first automobile with the front-wheel drive, transverse engine setup and rack and pinion steering?
...that the Plymouth Sundance is a liftback, even though the outside appearance might suggest that it is a sedan?

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General images

The following are images from various car-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A (from History of the automobile)
Image 2A robotic Volkswagen Passat shown at Stanford University is a driverless car (from Car)
Image 3The Ford Model T (foreground) and Volkswagen Beetle (background) are among the most mass-produced car models in history. (from History of the automobile)
Image 4The Toyota Corolla is the world's best-selling nameplate. (from History of the automobile)
Image 5Cars and trucks driving on a divided highway, Highway 401 in Ontario, Canada (from Car)
Image 61946 GAZ-M20 Pobeda one of the first mass-produced cars with ponton design (from History of the automobile)
Image 71959 Morris Mini-Minor (from History of the automobile)
Image 8Vehicles in use per country from 2001 to 2007. It shows the significant growth in BRIC. (from Car)
Image 9The Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car of all-time (from Car)
Image 10Low battery and motors can improve safety (from Car)
Image 111924 Doble Model E (from History of the automobile)
Image 121974 Citroën DS (from History of the automobile)
Image 131929 Austin Seven (from History of the automobile)
Image 141954 Plymouth Savoy Station Wagon, one of the first U.S. all-metal station wagons (from History of the automobile)
Image 151885-built Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first car to go into production with an internal combustion engine (from History of the automobile)
Image 16The Präsident automobile (from History of the automobile)
Image 171927 Ford Model T (from Car)
Image 18The Vélib' in Paris, France is the largest bikesharing system outside China (from Car)
Image 19A Chevrolet Suburban extended-length SUV weighs 3,300 kg (7,200 lb) (gross weight) (from Car)
Image 20A Stanley Steamer racecar in 1903. In 1906, a similar Stanley Rocket set the world land speed record at 127.7 miles per hour (205.5 km/h) at Daytona Beach Road Course (from History of the automobile)
Image 21Rolls-Royce Phantom III (from History of the automobile)
Image 221929 Alfa Romeo 6C (from History of the automobile)
Image 23Henry Ford founded Ford Motor Company in 1903 (from Car)
Image 24Armand Peugeot (from Car)
Image 25Fiat 4 HP, the first car model produced by Italian manufacturer Fiat in 1899 (from History of the automobile)
Image 26The original Benz Patent-Motorwagen, first built in 1885 and awarded the patent for the concept (from Car)
Image 27Volkswagen Beetle (from History of the automobile)
Image 28Cugnot's steam wagon, the second (1771) version (from History of the automobile)
Image 29The second Marcus car of 1875 at the Technical Museum in Vienna (from History of the automobile)
Image 30German Flocken Elektrowagen of 1888, perhaps the first electric car in the world (from History of the automobile)
Image 31Bertha Benz, the first long distance driver (from Car)
Image 32Émile Levassor (from Car)
Image 33Steam Machine Of Verbiest, In 1678. (Ferdinand Verbiest) (from Car)
Image 34Gurgel Supermini (from History of the automobile)
Image 35Result of a serious car collision (from Car)
Image 36A replica of Richard Trevithick's 1801 road locomotive 'Puffing Devil' (from History of the automobile)
Image 37In the Ford Model T the left-side hand lever sets the rear wheel parking brakes and puts the transmission in neutral. The lever to the right controls the throttle. The lever on the left of the steering column is for ignition timing. The left foot pedal changes the two forward gears while the centre pedal controls reverse. The right pedal is the brake. (from Car)
Image 38Ransom E. Olds founded Olds Motor Vehicle Company (Oldsmobile) in 1897 (from Car)
Image 39Model-T Ford car parked near the Geelong Art Gallery at its launch in Australia in 1915 (from History of the automobile)
Image 40Gustave Trouvé's tricycle, the first ever electric automobile to be shown in public (from Car)
Image 41Karl Benz, the inventor of the modern car (from Car)
Image 42Cugnot's 1771 fardier à vapeur, as preserved at the Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris, France (from Car)
Image 43Audi A4 daytime running lights (from Car)
Image 44Mass production at a Toyota plant in the 1950s (from Car)
Image 452011 Nissan Leaf electric car (from Car)
Image 46The Smart Fortwo car from 1998 to 2002, weighing 730 kg (1,610 lb) (from Car)
Image 47Road congestion is an issue in many major cities. (pictured is Chang'an Avenue in Beijing) (from Car)
Image 48The Selden Road-Engine (from History of the automobile)
Image 49Kiichiro Toyoda, president of the Toyota Motor Corporation 1941–1950 (from Car)
Image 50Panel for fuses and circuit breakers (from Car)
Image 51A car being assembled in a factory (from Car)
Image 521958 Lancia Appia (from History of the automobile)
Image 531926 Bugatti Type 35 (from History of the automobile)
Image 54The first automobile in Japan, a French Panhard-Levassor, in 1898 (from History of the automobile)