List of automotive superlatives

Automobiles are frequently judged in their industry by many superlatives: the smallest, largest, fastest, lightest, best-selling, and so on. They vary greatly in size, engine displacement, power, price, and many other traits.

In order to keep the entries relevant, the 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:

  1. are constructed principally for retail sale to consumers, for their personal use, and to transport people on public roads (no commercial or industrial vehicles are eligible);
  2. have had 20 or more instances made by the original vehicle manufacturer, and offered for commercial sale to the public in new condition (cars modified by either professional tuners or individuals are not eligible);
  3. are street-legal in their intended markets, and capable of passing any official tests or inspections required to be granted this status.

Vehicle dimensions

Length

Width (without mirrors)

Height

Wheelbase

Track

Curb Weight

Engines

Engine displacement

Smallest

Largest

Power

Highest power by engine type

Highest power by body style

Highest specific power (power-to-weight ratio)

Highest specific engine output (power/unit displacement)

Torque

Highest torque by engine type

Highest torque by body style

Highest specific torque (torque/unit displacement)

The mean effective pressure (MEP) is a useful comparison tool, giving the average cylinder pressure exerted on the piston.

Fuel economy

The following are all vehicles sold in the United States. Some vehicles from other countries have better fuel economy.

Price

Performance

Acceleration

Top speed

Highest RPM Redline

Sales

See also:
Best-selling models

Firsts

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.

Industry

Engine types

Engine technologies

engine configuration & other miscellaneous fundamental construction details
Wankel engines
valvetrain
multi-valve engines
variable valve timing (VVT)
aspiration
fuel systems
fuel injection (FI)
ignition systems
general miscellany

Hybrid vehicles

Body

Transmission

Layout

Suspension

Brakes

Driver-aids

Passive Restraint

Active restraint

Tires

Lighting

Electrical system

Climate control

In-car entertainment

Other

Pre-War

See also

References

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