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].

The French inventor Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot built the first steam-powered road vehicle in 1769, and the Swiss inventor François Isaac de Rivaz designed and constructed the first internal combustion-powered automobile in 1808. 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. 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.

Cars have controls for driving, parking, passenger comfort, and a variety of lamps. Over the decades, additional features and controls have been added to vehicles, making them progressively more complex. These include seat belts, airbags, rear-reversing cameras, air conditioning, navigation systems, and in-car entertainment. Most cars in use in the early 2020s are propelled by an internal combustion engine, fueled by the combustion of fossil fuels. Electric cars, which were invented early in the history of the car, became commercially available in the 2000s and widespread in the 2020s. (Full article...)

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The Lancia LC2 (sometimes referred to as the Lancia-Ferrari) was a series of racing cars built by Italian automobile manufacturer Lancia and powered by engines built by their sister company Ferrari. They were part of Lancia's official factory-backed effort in the World Sportscar Championship from 1983 to 1986, although they continued to be used by privateer teams until 1991. They were also the company's first car meeting the FIA's new Group C regulations for sports prototypes.

More powerful than their primary competition, the Porsche 956s, the LC2s were able to secure multiple pole positions during their three and a half seasons with the factory Martini Racing squad. However, deficiencies in reliability and fuel consumption hampered the LC2s' efforts for race wins against the Porsches. LC2s earned three race victories over their lifetimes in the hands of Italian drivers Teo Fabi, Riccardo Patrese, Alessandro Nannini, and Mauro Baldi, as well as German Hans Heyer and Frenchman Bob Wollek. (Full article...)

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The Mazda3 is a compact car manufactured by Mazda since 2003 over four generations. The body styles have been a 5-door hatchback and 4-door sedan across all generations. It was sold as the Mazda Axela (Japanese: マツダ・アクセラ, Hepburn: Matsuda Akusera) in Japan until 2019. From 2013 until 2019, it was called the Mazda 3 Axela in China.

The first generation was produced in Japan from June 2003 until November 2008 and replaced the Familia (also known as the 323 or Protegé) as Mazda's C-segment model. It was sold in North America for the 2004–2009 model years. It was also produced in Colombia from 2004 until 2014, in Iran from 2006 until 2010, and in China from 2007 until 2013. (Full article...)

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Honda NSX

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Suzuki in 2022

Osamu Suzuki (鈴木修, Suzuki Osamu; né Matsuda 松田; January 30, 1930 – December 25, 2024), was a Japanese businessman and the chairman of Suzuki Motor Corporation. From 1978, Suzuki served as the CEO, president, and chairman of the company. In February 2021, Suzuki Motor Corporation announced that he would retire in June 2021 and assume the role of adviser. (Full article...)

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On this day August 12

1905 — The first hill-climb at Shelsley Walsh is held.

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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.

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If automobiles had followed the same development cycle as the computer, a Rolls-Royce would today cost $100, get a million miles per gallon, and explode once a year, killing everyone inside.

—Robert X. Cringely

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General images

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

Image 1Cugnot's 1771 fardier à vapeur, as preserved at the Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris (from Car)
Image 22011 Nissan Leaf electric car (from Car)
Image 3Car exhaust gas is one type of pollution
Image 4The Präsident automobile (from History of the automobile)
Image 5Ford Motor Company automobile assembly line in the 1920s (from Car)
Image 61929 Alfa Romeo 6C (from History of the automobile)
Image 71929 Austin Seven (from History of the automobile)
Image 8Rolls-Royce Phantom III (from History of the automobile)
Image 9The first practical car, Carl Benz's Patent-Motorwagen Nr. 2 of 1886 (image from 1888) (from Car)
Image 10The Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car of all-time. (from Car)
Image 11The Ford Model T (foreground) and Volkswagen Beetle (background) are among the most mass-produced car models in history. (from History of the automobile)
Image 121987 Renault Espace (from History of the automobile)
Image 13Fiat 4 HP, the first car model produced by Italian manufacturer Fiat in 1899 (from History of the automobile)
Image 14A Chevrolet Suburban extended-length SUV weighs 3,300 kilograms (7,200 lb) (gross weight). (from Car)
Image 15Model-T Ford car parked near the Geelong Art Gallery at its launch in Australia in 1915 (from History of the automobile)
Image 16The 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 17Result of a serious car collision (from Car)
Image 18A replica of Richard Trevithick's 1801 road locomotive 'Puffing Devil' (from History of the automobile)
Image 19The Flocken Elektrowagen was the first four-wheeled electric car (from Car)
Image 201959 Morris Mini-Minor (from History of the automobile)
Image 21Carl Benz, creator of the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, considered by many as the first modern car. (from History of the automobile)
Image 22In 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 23The 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 24Ransom E. Olds founded Olds Motor Vehicle Company (Oldsmobile) in 1897. (from Car)
Image 25A robotic Volkswagen Passat shown at Stanford University is a driverless car. (from Car)
Image 26The Toyota Corolla is the world's bestselling nameplate. (from History of the automobile)
Image 27Cugnot's steam wagon, the second (1771) version (from History of the automobile)
Image 28Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A (from History of the automobile)
Image 29The German Flocken Elektrowagen of 1888, perhaps the first electric car in the world (from History of the automobile)
Image 30A 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 31The Vélib' in Paris, France, is the largest bikesharing system outside China. (from Car)
Image 321924 Doble Model E (from History of the automobile)
Image 331955 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible (from History of the automobile)
Image 341982 Toyota Camry (from History of the automobile)
Image 35Panel for fuses and circuit breakers (from Car)
Image 36Road congestion is an issue in many major cities (pictured is Chang'an Avenue in Beijing). (from Car)
Image 371974 Citroën DS (from History of the automobile)
Image 38The first automobile in Japan, a French Panhard-Levassor, in 1898 (from History of the automobile)
Image 391946 GAZ-M20 Pobeda, one of the first mass-produced cars with a pontoon design (from History of the automobile)
Image 40The second Marcus car of 1888 (from History of the automobile)
Image 41Volkswagen Beetle (from History of the automobile)
Image 421926 Bugatti Type 35 (from History of the automobile)
Image 43The Selden Road-Engine (from History of the automobile)
Image 44A car being assembled in a factory (from Car)
Image 45Audi A4 daytime running lights (from Car)
Image 46Steam machine of Verbiest, in 1678 (Ferdinand Verbiest) (from Car)
Image 47Carl Benz, the inventor of the modern car (from Car)
Image 48A Tesla Model Y electric car, the world's best-selling electric car, and the best selling nameplate in 2023. (from History of the automobile)