Amazing Automotive Fun Facts and History

Feb 26, 2023

We’ve shared some exciting news from our manufacturers, some fun facts and trivia, and of course a plethora of interesting ideas for road trips, family fun, and local activities. Today, however, we thought we’d share something a little personal that shows just how much we love all things automotive!

Do you know about the person who created the first autonomous vehicle? How about the man who opened America’s first car dealership that started it all? We’re betting that there’s something really cool, interesting, and memorable that you can learn from this list! Impress your friends and family at your next visit with these automotive triumphs and trailblazers. Check it out and enjoy!

Curious about the first cars ever sold? Well over in Europe, in 1886, Karl Benz registered the first “horseless carriage” aka The Motorwagen, and sold 25 Benz cars! The first commercial car sales were via American inventors Charl and Frank Duryea in 1893, but these were gas-powered carriages and later 3-wheeled and 4-wheeled armed and armored vehicles.
William E. Metzgar opened the nation’s first independent car dealership in Detroit in the grand year of 1897, but that’s not all he’s done! He also organized the first Auto Show in 1899, and though attendance and car options were sparse, this inaugural show birthed a whole new generation of automotive enthusiasts!
In 1889, Peugeot produced their first car following Germany’s Benz to become the world’s second-oldest car manufacturer. In 1899, Renault followed suit. By 1903, France was leading the way as the world’s most prolific automaker by cornering an impressive 49% of the global market and producing more than 30,000 vehicles!
In 1908, Henry Ford debuted the first production Model T Ford in Detroit, and a whopping 15 million Model T vehicles were manufactured from that fateful day through 1927! This prolific manufacturing was also thanks to Ford Motor Company’s creation of the first moving assembly line in 1913.
Previously, car bodies were made of wood, but that all changed in 1914, when Dodge made waves in the industry by producing their first vehicle that featured a body which was entirely constructed of steel!
In 1939, during the World’s Fair, General Motors and Norman Bel Geddes created the first “self- driving” car model. Now, it wasn’t quite what you expect from a self-driving, autonomous car, but it certainly was impressive. It was guided by radio-controlled electromagnetic fields, and reacted and operated through special metal spikes located inside the road. In 1995, that impressive car’s successor the Navlab5, more closely related to the cars we see and drive today, was produced by the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon, and it was the 5th model out of 10 vehicles which were retrofitted with new technology.
That very same year, 1939, General Motors debuted their “Hydra-Matic” device, an automatic transmission invented by Earl Thompson which allowed vehicle gears to shift automatically during driving. It was one of the greatest innovations in the world of automotive inventions!
The modern day electronic fuel injection system debuted in 1966, and it vastly improved engine efficiency, fuel economy, and lowered emissions by removing the need for a carburetor.

Nowadays you can find safety airbags in just about every nook and cranny of your vehicle, but did you know they weren’t in vehicles until the 1970s? GM introduced the Air Cushion Restraint System, and by 1974 other manufacturers had jumped on board and added these feature options to their lineup. It wasn’t a legal requirement to include in cars until 1991, but by then the technology had vastly improved and greatly increased drivera nd passenger safety.

Did we leave off a fun fact from our list? Let us know in the comments!

We’d love to feature your suggestions in an upcoming social media post or blog.