Recent Articles

List of automotive superlatives

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, we will limit the list to more modern automobiles (those built after World War II) since many really odd vehicles emerged in the pre-history of the automobile industry. There is a section for early superlatives, however.

We'll also limit the list to production road cars. More than 20 examples must have been made by the original vehicle manufacturer (no tuner cars), and they must be street-legal in their indended markets.

Size

• Straight-3
  • Smallest I3 engine -
  • Largest I3 engine - 1.5 L (1493 cc), Hyundai 1.5 CRDi (runner-up: 1.4 L (1422 cc) VW TDI-PD)
• Straight-4
  • Smallest I4 engine -
  • Largest I4 engine - 3.4 L (209 in³/3432 cc), 1956 Ferrari 860 Monza (The Offenhauser Indy 500 was a 4.4 L but wasn't used in road cars)
• Straight-6
  • Smallest I6 engine -
  • Largest I6 engine -
• V6
  • Smallest V6 engine - 1.6 L (97 in³) 6A10 (1597 cc), 1992 K V6, 1992 Mazda MX-3)
  • Largest V6 engine - 4.3 L (262 in³/4300 cc) Vortec 4300
• V8
  • Smallest V8 engine - 2.0 L (121 in³/1991 cc), 1982 Ferrari 208 GTS Turbo (The tiny Coventry Climax 1.5 L V8 never made it into a road car)
  • Smallest American V8 engine - 3.5 L (215 in³), 1961 Buick Skylark
  • Largest V8 engine - 8.4 L (500 in³), 1970 Cadillac
  • Largest small-block V8 engine - 6.7 L (408 in³/6689 cc), Ford 400 Cleveland
• V10
  • Smallest V10 engine - 5.0 L (303 in³/4961 cc), 2002 Lamborghini Gallardo
  • Largest V10 engine - 8.3 L (505 in³/8277 cc), 2003 Dodge Viper
• V12
  • Smallest V12 engine - 1.5 L (91 in³/1497 cc), 1947 Ferrari 125 S
  • Largest V12 engine -
• Wheelbase
  • Shortest wheelbase -
  • Longest wheelbase -
• Weight
  • Lightest passenger vehicle -
  • Heaviest passenger vehicle - 2003 Hummer H2, 8600 lbs (3900 kg) GVWR
• Other
  • Largest brake disc - 16 in (406 mm) - 2004 Bentley Continental GT

Power

• Most powerful engine - 1001 hp quad-turbo W16, 2005 Bugatti Veyron 16.4
• Most powerful naturally-aspirated engine - 660 hp V12, 2003 Ferrari Enzo
  • Runners up:
    • 2004 Maserati MC12 Stradale, 630 hp
    • 1997 McLaren F1, 627 hp
    • 2004 Porsche Carerra GT, 612 hp
• Most naturally-aspirated power per liter - 120 hp per liter (240 hp 2.0 L), 2000 Honda S2000
  • The 1.3 L wankel engine in the Mazda_RX-8 produces 237 hp, for 182.3 hp per litre, although rotary and piston engine displacement ratings are not generally considered compareable.
• Most Diesel power per liter - 91 hp per liter (272 hp 3.0 L), 2005 BMW 535d

Performance

• Highest USA EPA mileage - Honda Insight 5-speed, 61/70
• Quickest 0-60 mph:
  • Sports car - Tie: 1992 Bugatti EB110 SS, 1997 McLaren F1 - 3.2 seconds
  • 4-seat car - 2003 Mercedes-Benz E55, 4.2 seconds
  • Pickup truck - 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10 - 4.9 seconds
• Slowest 0-60 mph -
• Quickest 60-0 braking:
  • Sports car -
  • 4-seat car -
  • Pickup truck -
• Highest top speed:
  • Sports car - 2005 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 - 252.3 mph
  • 4-seat car -
  • Pickup truck - 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10 - 154.6 mph

Sales

• 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 27,500,000 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 MX-5 Miata (more than 700,000 of two generations sold between 1989 and 2004)
• Best annual sales - Ford F150, 911,597 in 2001 (22 years in a row as the top-selling single vehicle)
• World's top-selling manufacturer - General Motors, followed by Toyota and Ford Motor Company

Types

• First fuel injected (non-Diesel) engine - 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL
• First V10 vehicle - 1992 Dodge Viper
• First V10 sedan - 2005 BMW M5
• First American electric car - General Motors EV1
• World's First hybrid car - Toyota Prius
• First American hybrid car - Honda Insight
• First American hybrid SUV - Ford Escape Hybrid

Pre-War

• First automobile manufacturer - Panhard et Levassor (1889) (followed by Peugeot in 1891)
• First standardized automobile - Benz Velo (1894)
• First standardized American automobile - Duryea Motor Wagon (1896)
• First mass-produced automobile - Oldsmobile Curved Dash (1901)
• 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 $3000 in inflation-adjusted 2004 dollars)
• Largest vehicle - Bugatti Royale - 21ft (6.4m) long, 180" (4.57m) or 170" (4.32m) wheelbase depending on model
• Largest engine - Bugatti Royale and Type 5, 14.7L or 12.8L depending on model