Managed to get hold of the 2012 Guinness Book of Records from my local library, and motoring enthusiasts everywhere are probably going to be quite pleased with the number of entries that tie in with our interests. Not only do you have the usual two-page spread with all the record-breaking or record-holding cars, but in this latest edition, you\u2019ve also got a special \u201cPetrolhead\u201d category and an alternative energy category. Given what we know about (a) the dicey nature of Middle Eastern politics and (b) the fact that the world\u2019s got only so much crude oil in its crust and when it\u2019s gone, it\u2019s gone, that page featuring alternative energy is probably likely to become more and more important.<\/p>\n
\nAnyway, philosophical maunderings about energy sources, aside, what\u2019s some of the great facts and records this year for the world of motoring? Take notes now \u2013 you never know when these facts might come in handy for a pub quiz trivia night.<\/p>\n
\nFastest electric car: This record is held by the Buckeye Bullet 2, which, unfortunately, isn\u2019t a production car but a project by some engineering students studying at the Ohio State University. Its top speed is a very impressive 487.672 km\/h, which is more than four times the legal road speed \u2013 is that fast enough for you?<\/p>\n
\nFastest solar-powered car: This record\u2019s one that Australians can be proud of: it\u2019s held by the Sunswift IV, and it can get up to 88.73 km\/h. The Sunswift was made by the NSW Solar Racing Team.
\nLongest journey by coffee-powered car: This isn\u2019t a nutty idea from the USA but one from the eccentric Brits instead: they managed to get from London to Manchester in an adapted VW Scirocco that has a way to convert coffee granules into carbon monoxide (not so eco-friendly) and hydrogen, and the hydrogen fires the engine. The journey covered 337 km and did it at a fuel economy of 1 km per 35 expressos.<\/p>\n
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\nBest selling-hybrid car: No surprises here: the record\u2019s held by the Toyota Prius<\/a>, which has sold over two million units since its launch in 1997.<\/p>\n
\nBest selling production car: This is held by the Toyota Corolla<\/a>, which was the first car to achieve 30 million sales. The first car to reach 20 million sales, however, was the VW Beetle<\/a>. The first car to achieve 10 million sales isn\u2019t one you\u2019ll find in our car reviews<\/a> page: it was the Model T Ford. To get a little more specialised, the best-selling sports car is the Mazda MX-5<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nGreatest fuel range: Hold your head up high, Volkswagen: the Passat <\/a>1.6 TDI managed to get 2456.88 km on just one tank of fuel.<\/p>\n
\nLargest vehicle producing country: this is held by China, which also holds the record for the country with the larges vehicle sales (it\u2019s just managed to beat the USA for this latter record).<\/p>\n
\nVehicle with the largest mileage: a 1966 Volvo P-1800S managed to get over 4.5 million kilometres on the clock and it\u2019s still going strong. Another record-holding Volvo is the XC60<\/a>, which can proudly wear the title of the first car with a crash avoidance system.<\/p>\n
\nSmallest roadworthy car: This is a home-made job knows as the Wind Up, and it measures 104 cm high by 66.04 cm wide by 132.08 cm long. This is not a suitable family vehicle…<\/p>\n
\nFastest caravan tow: a person driving a Mercedes Benz S600 in South Africa managed to clock 223.88 km\/h while towing a caravan \u2013 on an Air Force runway. Cops tend to get a bit grumpy if you try doing this on the roads.<\/p>\n
\nFastest production car: This is still held by the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport with a top speed of 431.072 km\/h.<\/p>\n
\nMost expensive car: Held by a Ferrari 205 GTO. The most expensive production car is the Mercedes-Benx CLK\/LM.<\/p>\n