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Canwest News Service
You Auto Know is a regular feature that examines auto-related facts and fiction, busts some common car myths and checks out weird and wonderful tidbits about the automotive industry.
Did you know…
? There are many "car of the year" awards, but who created the concept? The name is considered to have been invented by Motor Trend magazine in 1949; since then, it has been adopted by many other panels for their best picks.
Here are the names of just a few common ones: Motor Trend Car of the Year by Motor Trend magazine; Car of the Year presented by Motoring since 1989, which includes our very own Graeme Fletcher; World Car of the Year chosen by a jury of 48 international autojournalists; the International Car of the Year by Road & Travel Magazine; Green Car of the Year by Green Car Journal; North American Car of the Year, announced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit; European Car of the Year chosen by a consortium of European automotive magazines; Car and Driver's Ten Best; Top Gear's Car of the Year; Car of the Year by Australia's Wheels magazine; Automobile Magazine's Car of the Year; the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada's Canadian Car of the Year; and, most recently, the Best of the Best top cars of the year as chosen by the Canadian Automotive Jury, which also includes Fletcher and our own David Booth as members.
*The "Silver Arrow" legend was born more than 75 years ago. On May 27, 1934, the German racing cars that were soon to acquire the nickname Silver Arrow were entered for their first race on the Avus race track in Berlin.
Audi (nee Auto Union) didn't win this inaugural race, but it wouldn't be long until it dominated one of the most dramatic chapters in auto racing history.
*The race cars, which had Audi's four-ring emblem, were given a striking silver paint finish and the engines were located behind the driver. Rules stated that the cars entered in the race were limited to a total dry weight of 750 kilograms, but the engines could be of any size and there was no restriction on the type of fuel.
*Ferdinand Porsche designed the Auto Union racing cars. Approval of his design was subject to the engines developing at least 250 horsepower at 4,500 rpm. The six-litre V16 engines had 32 valves and were mated to four-speed transmissions. Driver Hans Stuck confirmed this with a world speed record run on the Avus circuit in March 1934. These cars produced 295 hp and reached speeds of up to 380 kilometres an hour, which is a feat even by today's standards. In practice runs leading up to the race, Stuck had an average lap time of 245 km/h.
*The inaugural race was held in heavy rain. By the tenth lap, Stuck had built up a whole minute's lead over his nearest rivals, but then a fault developed and he fell behind. Another Auto Union driver, August Momberger, secured third place.
*In 1935, a complete racing car cost about 50,000 Reichsmarks (RM). Between 1934 and 1939, Auto Union spent about 13.2-million RM on Grand Prix racing, and received approximately 2.7-million RM in subsidies from the government.
*In those years, Auto Union entered 61 circuit races in all, 30 of which were Grand Prix events. It won 24 of the races it entered and also took 23 second and 17 third places.
*In November 2009, a Swiss court handed out a record $290,000 fine to a wealthy speeder. The speeder, who is worth an estimated US$20-million, was allegedly driving 57 km/h the 50-km/h speed limit, according to a statement on the court's website. The court also says the speeder was a repeat offender.
*BMW broke its first world record on June 17, 1919. On this date, pilot Franz Zeno Diemer flew an airplane powered by a BMW engine to an altitude of 9, 760 metres. Diemer, who served as a test pilot in the Bavarian Flying Corps in the First World War, achieved the feat in 87 minutes. Nobody had previously piloted an aircraft to a greater height. The engine was a 230-hp engine developed by BMW specifically for high altitudes.
*Although Diemer's record flight received international acclaim, it was denied official recognition. All aviation records had to be confirmed by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) in order to be ratified, and although Germany was a founding member, it had been excluded from the FAI as a result of the First World War.
*In 1944, Kia was founded in Seoul, South Korea as a manufacturer of steel tubing and bicycle parts. Kia began production of its first bicycles in 1951, its first motorized scooter in 1957, its first motorcycle in 1961 and its first truck in 1962. The company began manufacturing cars in 1974.
*The name Kia comes from the Korean word ki, which means "to come/rise out. " The "a" stands for Asia, so Kia as a whole means "Rising out of Asia," according to the company.
*Hou Xiaobin of China holds the Guinness World Record for the longest backward motorcycle ride. Hou rode backward on his motorcycle for 150 km on Oct. 4, 2006 in Binzhou, China.
National Post, with files from news services
