We know that our ‘Wheels-Alive’ readers/viewers enjoy varied aspects of cars and motoring, so we thought that you would like the following light-hearted look at some interesting/unusual cars in a special ‘Top Ten’…
Countless hours have been won and lost chatting – or arguing – about the top ten fastest cars, the classics, the not-so-classics, and the “if only we won the lottery” cars. Well, we thought we’d pull together a top ten of the top ten. From the most retro-futuristic to the fastest battery-powered, to the most “possessed”, you won’t have seen anything quite like this list of lists before, but it will definitely give you something to talk about with your friends and family, that’s for sure.
Note: In each case below, please click on the highlighted text for further fascinating information/photos.
1. Most retro-futuristic car
Photo and more information: Concept Carz
Is it a car or a plane or a bit of both? Just add wings and you could definitely see this weird and wonderful aluminium prototype aviation-styled beauty take off. Officially, it’s a 1948 Tasco and was designed by Gordon Buehrig to help inspire a contract with the Beech Aircraft Company. It’s also the first car in the world with a patented T-shaped roof.
2. The fastest accelerating electric car
Photo and more information: Greenteam Stuttgart
Developed by students at the University of Stuttgart in Germany, the GreenTeam’s E0711-5 electric car went from 0-100km/h in 1.7 seconds beating the previous record by 0.006 seconds. That’s not the most amazing thing about this battery-powered beast though: Believe it or not their official time of 1.779 seconds is even faster than a Formula One race car!
3 The best computerised race car
Photo by Miki Yoshihito. Flickr Mujitra Licensed under Creative Commons
What list of cars would be complete without a mention of Super Mario Kart? Millions of people across the world have spent more than a few hours pretending to be Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Bowser and Toad. Whether racing against the clock in Time Trial mode, against friends in Match Race mode, or trying to defeat them with power-ups and destroying balloons in Battle Mode, it’s hard to think of any other car game which has resulted in so much light-hearted, worldwide and long-lasting fun.
4. The best-selling car in Britain
Photo – By Thomas Doerfer – Wikipedia commons Ford Fiesta Sport.JPG
In the UK at least, the Ford Fiesta was still at the top of the table in 2015. It’s easy to see why. There’s a good range to choose from, everything from entry-level up to the 180bhp Ford Fiesta ST hot hatch. They’re good value and practical too, giving them broad appeal to first-time drivers and the more experienced.
5. The fastest supersonic car
Photo – Originators – Flock and Siemens – Bloodhound SSC Poster
The current World Land Speed Record is held by Thrust Supersonic Car (SSC), achieved when it reached a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it speed of 763 mph on 15 October 1997 in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada. It was also the first car to officially break the sound barrier. But that record might be about to be blown away. RAF Wing Commander Andy Green – who piloted Thrust SSC – wants to break his previous record by piloting the Bloodhound SSC (shown) at 1000 mph across the Hakskeen Pan in South Africa. Chocks away Andy!
6. The hottest Hot Rod
Photo – CC BY 3.0 – Wikipedia hot rod
This 1932 3-window Model T Ford complete with flames licking the hood and door panels is certainly deserving of a place in our top ten. Many of these were bought and customised after the Second World War by American GIs returning home, putting to use the technical training they’d been given. They’d soup them up and race them on the vast, empty dry lake beds northeast of Los Angeles.
7. Most expensive car sold at auction
Photo – “1962 Ferrari 250 GTO 34 2”. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons – Commons Wikimedia 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO
No surprises for guessing it’s not a car built in the last thirty years or for it being one of the most iconic brands out there. A 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Berlinetta was the most expensive car sold at auction in 2014, going under the hammer for a whopping £22,843,633. Ferrari only built 39 of these World GT championship winning cars so it’s no wonder they’re highly sought-after and will no doubt continue to fetch princely sums as time goes by.
8. Most heroic car
Photo – “1960s Batmobile (FMC)” by Photo by Jennifer Graylock/Ford Motor Company Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons – Commons Wikimedia 1960s Batmobile
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What else could it be? The comic books, graphic novels, TV series and blockbuster movies have probably made the Batmobile the most widely recognised superhero car of all time. Unlike James Bond, who usually drives modified production cars, Batman only seems to drive custom-built models bristling with gadgets and turbo-boosted umphm. What else would millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne do with his money if it weren’t spent on building techno toys with which to defeat the bad guys? Playing the stock market seems a lot less fun.
9. The car most in tune with your mood
Photo – Wikimedia Commons Toyota FV2 – By Morio – CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Toyota’s concept car, FV2, uses image and voice recognition technology to detect your mood and change the car’s exterior to suit. There’s no steering wheel either but this isn’t a driverless car as such – you steer the car by moving your bodyweight backwards, forwards, left and right. The car will also track your driving history to suggest driving routes and even determine your driving skill level so it can assist in driving technique.
10. Most “possessed” car!
Photo – “Christine” – Licensed under Public Domain via Commons – Commons Wikimedia Christine
Last but not least is “Christine”, a red and white 1958 Plymouth Fury. Used in the film adaption of Stephen King’s novel of the same name, Christine is apparently possessed by supernatural forces. We’re guessing getting an insurance quote might be something of a challenge when you have to confess that the main driver on the policy will actually be the vengeful spirit of the original owner Ronald D. LeBay!