Former Top Gear researcher, Simon Heptinstall, knows a thing or two about motoring having been a writer and researcher on arguably the world’s greatest motoring show.
And he’s now released a book – Very Good Car Stories, that you can buy on Amazon.
To whet the appetite, here are ten weird and wonderful facts…
1. Who is the world's fastest blind driver?
Bolton’s Mike Newman was born blind and became the world’s fastest blind driver when he took his Jaguar XJR to 144mph.
The former bank manager then beat his own record three times with his latest run of 200mph in a Nissan GTR being the current chart topper.Mike achieves his need for speed driving alone on an empty airfield but has a live radio link to a navigator in a car that’s following him to warn him if he is veering off course.
2. What is the shortest driving career ever?
This unwanted title is held by an 18-year-old German driver who was caught at double the limit just 49 minutes after passing his test.
3. What is the world's most expensive motoring holiday?
Perhaps unsurprisingly this is linked to this week’s Las Vegas GP. A high end tour operator is offering a three-night break to Vegas to watch the race for a whopping £17,766 per person.
You’ll get three nights at the Bellagio Hotel for that along with VIP hospitality at the race.
4. Where is the least likely home of a major motoring museum?
The Historical Cars Museum on the outskirts of Tehran has 55 classic cars that were once owned by the Iranian Royal family before it was ousted by the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
After more than 50 years of collecting dust in a secret location, the cars are now attracting thousands of visitors. The fleet includes a one-off Mercedes-Benz gifted by none other than Adolf Hitler.
There’s also an American 1930's limousine fixed with gold-plated bumpers and headlights – shockingly this cost around an eighth of the entire Iranian national budget to buy.
5. What was the weirdest ever excuse for speeding?
A policy deputy in Florida stopped a driver racing to get home. Footage that has since been shared on social media showed the driver saying; 'The truth is I just found out that Putin says he's going to launch thermonuclear war against the world.
'I was just trying to get back to my house to find out what is going on. I'm freaking out here. I got people in Ukraine.'
6. What was the lowest top speed of any Rolls Royce?
In 1905 Rolls Royce built a luxury 3.5-litre V8 car with a top speed limited to just 20mph (32kph) – the UK speed limit at the time. If the restriction was lifted it could’ve gone quicker.
7. Who is the biggest tyre manufacturer in the world?
Here’s one for a pub quiz… The biggest tyre manufacturer in the world in terms of numbers sold is, in fact, Lego.
The Danish toy company manufactured 381 million tyres for its vehicles in 2010 when production peaked. It has still made over 300 million every year since.
8. How many vehicles are simply abandoned in the UK every year?
21,106 vehicle are reported as being left abandoned every year with the most common being the Ford Transit, Vauxhall Astra and Ford Focus.
The most common locations for abandonments are Bradford, Milton Keynes and Barnet.
9. Which dictatorship has just unveiled a supercar?
The Taliban have bizarrely announced the creation of its first supercar - the Mada 9.
Designed to improve its global image, the car was revealed in Kabul to astonished journalists who probably don’t dare to give it a bad review. The low-slung two-door Mada coupe is powered by a highly-tuned Toyota Corolla engine.
10. Who drove an electric egg?
The Electric Egg, or 'L'Oeuf Electrique', was built by eccentric French engineer Paul Arzens in 1942.
The single-seat bubble car used five normal car batteries under the back seat that could see it reach over 40mph and deliver a range of 60 miles.
In a testament to his own engineering, Arzens drove his Electric Egg around Paris for 50 years until his death aged 86 in 1990.
Want to know more weird and wonderful stories from the world of motoring. Find the answers to these important motoring questions in Very Good Car Stories by Simon Heptinstall – surely a great Christmas present!
