Automotive Facts

NASCAR teams use nitrogen instead of regular air to fill their tires because it maintains more consistent pressure under extreme heat.

Henry Ford produced the model T only in black because the black paint available at the time was the fastest to dry.

A car operates at maximum economy, gas-wise, at speeds between 25 and 35 miles per hour.

Putting your car alarm remote under your chin or beside your head increases its range.

The yellow barrels at every highway exit were invented by John Fitch, a Le Mans driver who once shot down a German jet in WWII. After his co-driver died at Le Mans in 1955, Fitch filled liquor barrels with sand and crashed into them at up to 70 mph in his own driveway. He climbed out grinning every time. Highways adopted them in the late 1960s. An estimated 17,000 lives saved. Every one started in his driveway.

Ferruccio Lamborghini owned several Ferraris but kept burning out the clutch. He drove to Maranello and told Enzo Ferrari the clutches were rubbish. Ferrari dismissed him - a tractor man had no business criticizing his cars. Ferruccio went home and built a rival brand in four months. Three years later, his Miura was hailed as the world's first true supercar.