Portal:Cars

The Cars Portal

The Ford Model T, produced from 1908 to 1927, is widely credited with being the first mass-affordable automobile, and it remains one of the best-selling cars of all time.

A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat 1–8 people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are over 1.6 billion cars in use worldwide as of 2025^[update].

In 1769 the French inventor Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot built the first steam-powered road vehicle, a large three-wheeled dray to carry artillery pieces at walking pace. In 1808 the Swiss inventor François Isaac de Rivaz designed and constructed the first internal-combustion-powered automobile; range was limited to tens of metres by the gaseous fuel held in a large balloon. Until the late nineteenth century the only source of mechanical power for long-distance travel by land was coal in a steam engine. A notable early example of a personal steam carriage was that made in 1840 by Frank Hills of Deptford, near London. This cruised at 26 km/h (16 mph) and was used for day trips, including one of 206 km (128 miles).^{: 149–150}

The modern car—a practical, marketable automobile for everyday use—was invented in 1886, when the German inventor Carl Benz patented his Benz Patent-Motorwagen. By the end of the nineteenth century, Benz was selling 500 a year of later versions of this. Commercial cars became widely available during the 20th century. The 1901 Oldsmobile Curved Dash and the 1908 Ford Model T, both American cars, are widely considered the first mass-produced and mass-affordable cars, respectively. Cars were rapidly adopted in the US, where they replaced horse-drawn carriages. In Europe and other parts of the world, demand for automobiles did not increase until after World War II. In the 21st century, car usage is still increasing rapidly, especially in China, India, and other newly industrialised countries. (Full article...)

Refresh with new selections below (purge)

Recognized content - show another

Entries here consist of Good and Featured articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards.

Anthony Davidson in the TS030 at the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans

The Toyota TS030 Hybrid is a Le Mans Prototype 1 (LMP1) sports car built by Toyota Motorsport GmbH and used by the manufacturer in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2012 and 2013. It was Toyota's first all new prototype since the GT-One last competed in 1999, and was the first petrol-hybrid engine car to participate in the World Endurance Championship. Work on designing the car began in late 2010 when early chassis designs were presented to Toyota Motorsport. The project was stopped briefly after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, but the car's building was approved six months later. The TS030 Hybrid featured a Kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) regenerative braking device to charge a super capacitor. Its engine, a naturally aspirated petrol 3.4-litre (210 cu in) V8 power unit, was mounted at a 90-degree angle, produced 530 horsepower (400 kW; 540 PS), and was based on Toyota's Super GT project.

On 24 January 2012 the TS030 Hybrid was shown to the press for the first time at Circuit Paul Ricard and the team commenced testing at the track shortly after. Its planned debut at the 2012 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps was delayed while the car's chassis was rebuilt after a heavy testing crash. Two TS030 Hybrid cars were entered for Le Mans which saw the team fail to finish because of a sizeable accident by Anthony Davidson in the No. 8 vehicle, and an engine failure for the sister No. 7 entry. After the race, the company fielded a sole TS030 Hybrid for the rest of the season and attracted attention for an innovative rear wing extension. It was able to compete successfully against the two Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars, securing three victories with drivers Nicolas Lapierre and Alexander Wurz, ending the season second to their rivals in the World Manufacturers' Championship. (Full article...)

List of recognized articles

Selected article - show another

1948-1950 Hudson Super Six

The Hudson Super Six is an automobile manufactured by the Hudson Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan. The model was introduced in 1916 and remained in production until 1928.

The nameplate was revived for a rebadged Essex in 1933 for a single model year. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

edit

Selected picture of the day

BMW 2002

Selected biography - show another

Honda in 1964

Soichiro Honda (本田宗一郎, Honda Sōichirō; 17 November 1906 – 5 August 1991) was a Japanese engineer and industrialist. In 1948, he established Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and oversaw its expansion from a wooden shack manufacturing bicycle motors to a multinational automobile and motorcycle manufacturer. (Full article...)

List of selected biographies

More biography articles

edit

On this day October 28

2006 — Holden Special Vehicles introduces the high-performance Grange sedan.

edit

Did you know...

...that the racing version of the Dauer 962 Le Mans, winner of 1994 24 Hours of Le Mans, is a roadcar converted from a Porsche 962 racecar, which dominated Le Mans, Group C and IMSA during the 1980s?
...that the 25 Millionth VW Golf rolled off the production line in Wolfsburg in March 2007? The first Golf started production in 1974, 33 years later the 1.4 litre TSI version became the 25 Millionth car.
...that the 2011 Ford Crown Victoria was the last car to offer a cassette tape player as an option?
...that the first production turbocharged cars were General Motors' A-body 1962 Chevrolet Corvair and Oldsmobile F-85?
...that Jeep introduced the 1993 Grand Cherokee and 2007 Wrangler in the same way — by driving them through a plate glass window?
...that a small number of Renault 20s, badged as Dacia 2000, were made in the 1980s by Dacia in Romania for Romanian communist dignitaries of that time?
...that the Autobianchi Primula was the Fiat's first automobile with the front-wheel drive, transverse engine setup and rack and pinion steering?
...that the Plymouth Sundance is a liftback, even though the outside appearance might suggest that it is a sedan?
...that the name Volvo really means 'I Roll?' That's how Volvo rolls.

edit

Selected quote of the day

This type of technology, unheard of 10 or 15 years ago, is real. And it's coming. It's just another step toward the fully automated driving experience. Which is anathema to those of us who are drivers' drivers who are suckers for the thrill of controlling a speed machine.

But that's why people like us will always have motorcycles!

—Bob Lutz on the possibilities of future automated automobiles

Topics

General images

The following are images from various car-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 11926 Bugatti Type 35 (from History of the automobile)
Image 2Carl Benz, the inventor of the modern car (from Car)
Image 3Percentage-of-total-sales figures for electric, plug-in hybrid, and hybrid vehicles approximately quadrupled from 2020 to 2026. (from History of the automobile)
Image 4The Flocken Elektrowagen was the first four-wheeled electric car (from Car)
Image 5The first practical car, Carl Benz's Patent-Motorwagen Nr. 2 of 1886 (image from 1888) (from Car)
Image 61959 Morris Mini-Minor (from History of the automobile)
Image 71929 Austin Seven (from History of the automobile)
Image 8Car exhaust gas is one type of pollution
Image 9Cugnot's 1771 fardier à vapeur, as preserved at the Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris (from Car)
Image 10A Chevrolet Suburban extended-length SUV weighs 3,300 kilograms (7,200 lb) (gross weight). (from Car)
Image 11Steam machine of Verbiest, in 1678 (Ferdinand Verbiest) (from Car)
Image 12Audi A4 daytime running lights (from Car)
Image 131924 Doble Model E (from History of the automobile)
Image 14Result of a serious car collision (from Car)
Image 15Volkswagen Beetle (from History of the automobile)
Image 162011 Nissan Leaf electric car (from Car)
Image 17Ransom E. Olds founded Olds Motor Vehicle Company (Oldsmobile) in 1897. (from Car)
Image 18In the Ford Model T the left-side hand lever sets the rear wheel parking brakes and puts the transmission in neutral. The lever to the right controls the throttle. The lever on the left of the steering column is for ignition timing. The left foot pedal changes the two forward gears while the centre pedal controls reverse. The right pedal is the brake. (from Car)
Image 19A robotic Volkswagen Passat shown at Stanford University is a driverless car. (from Car)
Image 201929 Alfa Romeo 6C (from History of the automobile)
Image 211974 Citroën DS (from History of the automobile)
Image 22The first production car: 1888 Benz Patent-Motorwagen Model 2 on loan from Science Museum, London to Automuseum Dr Carl Benz, Ladenburg, 2014 (from Car)
Image 23A replica of Richard Trevithick's 1801 road locomotive 'Puffing Devil' (from History of the automobile)
Image 24The first automobile in Japan, a French Panhard-Levassor, in 1898 (from History of the automobile)
Image 25The Selden Road-Engine (from History of the automobile)
Image 26The second Marcus car of 1888 (from History of the automobile)
Image 27Road congestion is an issue in many major cities (pictured is Chang'an Avenue in Beijing). (from Car)
Image 281982 Toyota Camry (from History of the automobile)
Image 29Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A (from History of the automobile)
Image 30Panel for fuses and circuit breakers (from Car)
Image 31Frank Hills' steam carriage, 1840 (from Car)
Image 32The weight of the low battery stabilises the car. This is a dual-motor, four-wheel-drive layout, but many cars only have one motor. (from Car)
Image 33A Stanley Steamer racecar in 1903. In 1906, a similar Stanley Rocket set the world land speed record at 205.5 km/h (127.7 mph) at Daytona Beach Road Course. (from History of the automobile)
Image 34The Ford Model T (foreground) and Volkswagen Beetle (background) are among the most mass-produced car models in history. (from History of the automobile)
Image 35Ford Motor Company automobile assembly line in the 1920s (from Car)
Image 361946 GAZ-M20 Pobeda, one of the first mass-produced cars with a pontoon design (from History of the automobile)
Image 37A Tesla Model Y electric car, the world's best-selling electric car, and the best selling nameplate in 2023. (from History of the automobile)
Image 381987 Renault Espace (from History of the automobile)
Image 39Fiat 4 HP, the first car model produced by Italian manufacturer Fiat in 1899 (from History of the automobile)
Image 40The Präsident automobile (from History of the automobile)
Image 41Rolls-Royce Phantom III (from History of the automobile)
Image 421955 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible (from History of the automobile)
Image 43The German Flocken Elektrowagen of 1888, perhaps the first electric car in the world (from History of the automobile)
Image 44Model-T Ford car parked near the Geelong Art Gallery at its launch in Australia in 1915 (from History of the automobile)
Image 45Cugnot's steam wagon, the second (1771) version (from History of the automobile)
Image 46A car being assembled in a factory (from Car)
Image 47Carl Benz, creator of the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, considered by many as the first modern car. (from History of the automobile)
Image 48The Toyota Corolla is the world's bestselling nameplate. (from History of the automobile)
Image 49The Vélib' in Paris, France, is the largest bikesharing system outside China. (from Car)