Automotive superlatives include attributes such as the smallest, largest, fastest, lightest, best-selling, and so on.
This list (except for the firsts section) is limited to automobiles built after World War II, and lists superlatives for earlier vehicles separately. The list is also limited to production road cars that:
Calendar years rather than "model years" are used except when explicitly marked as otherwise.
The mean effective pressure (MEP) is a useful comparison tool, giving the average cylinder pressure exerted on the piston.
The following are all vehicles once certified for sale in the United States. Some vehicles from other countries have better fuel economy. Figures (showed in miles per US gallon units) are based on laboratory estimates, not consumer data.
The following are as sold in Europe:
All below amounts are total capacities for fuel tanks, (lithium based) batteries and other energy storage devices, not usable/net capacity.
Mostly full-production vehicles are listed here. Many were preceded by racing-only cars. This list mainly includes developments that led to widespread adoption across the automotive industry.
In 1889, Bernardi started building larger engines. One engine built in 1889 had the following innovations: 1) detachable head, 2) overhead valves actuated by a camshaft and rockers, 3) centrifugal governor on the inlet valve, 4) a constant level carburettor with a float and hand control, 5) filters for air and gas, 6) automatic lubrication of moving parts, 7) cooling by water circulation, 8) a tubular radiator, 9) a silencer, and 10) roller bearings for the transmission and wheel hubs.
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The gear lever is rather singular too: it has a lock with a special security key, one of the first car antitheft devices