Biggest and Smallest Cars

In an industry that’s ruled by regulation, it can be hard to design cars that are truly different. Sometimes, manufacturers design really strange options (which can fail miserably in breaking the mold). But, within the confines they’re given, there are certainly some car superlatives out there: the biggest, smallest, and fastest cars that ever went into production.

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The Biggest and Smallest Street-Legal Vehicles in the World

Length

Longest
Category Vehicle Name Measurement 1 Measurement 2
Car 2016 Mercedes-Maybach Pullman 255.9 in 6,499 mm
Pickup Truck 2015 Ford F-650/750 Diesel SuperCab 281.0 in 7,137 mm
SUV Ford Excursion 226.7 in 5,758 mm
Van Iveco Daily 300.3 in 7,628 mm
Shortest
Category Vehicle Name Measurement 1 Measurement 2
Shortest Vehicle 1962 -65 Peel P50 52.8 in 1,340 mm

Width – (Without mirrors)

Widest
Category Vehicle Name Measurement 1 Measurement 2
Car 1954 Chrysler Crown Imperial 82.9 in 2,105 mm
Pickup Truck Dodge Ram 3500 DRW 96.0 in 2,438 mm
SUV 1992 -2006 Hummer H1 86.5 in 2,197 mm
Van Mercedes-Benz Vario 88.2 in 2,240 mm
Narrowest
Category Vehicle Name Measurement 1 Measurement 2
Narrowest Vehicle 1962 -65 Peel P50 39.0 in 990 mm

Height

Tallest
Category Vehicle Name Measurement 1 Measurement 2
Car 1904-9 Fiat 60 HP 100.4 in 2,550 mm
Pickup Truck Brabus Unimog U500 Black Edition 116.4 in 2,956 mm
SUV Ford Excursion 80.4 in 2,042 mm
Van Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 120.3 in 3,055 mm
Lowest
Category Vehicle Name Measurement 1 Measurement 2
Lowest Vehicle 1956 -58 Lotus Eleven 31.9 in 810 mm

Curb Weight

Heaviest
Category Vehicle Name Measurement 1 Measurement 2
Car 1938 -43 Mercedes-Benz 770 W150 10,582 lb 4,800 kg
Pickup Truck International XT 14,551 lb 6,600 kg
SUV 2008 Conquest Knight XV 13,000 lb 5,900 kg
Van Mercedes-Benz Vario 9,656 lb 4,380 kg
Lightest
Category Vehicle Name Measurement 1 Measurement 2
Lightest Vehicle 1962 -65 Peel P50 130 lb 9 kg

Engine displacement

Largest
Category Vehicle Name Measurement 1 Measurement 2
/td>

1912 -18 Pierce-Arrow Model 6-66 Raceabout

and

1912 -14 Peerless Model 6-60

824.0 cid 13,503 cc
Smallest
Category Vehicle Name Measurement 1 Measurement 2
/td>

1962 -65 Peel P50 3.0 cid 49 cc

Horsepower

Highest
Category Vehicle Name Measurement 1 Measurement 2
Car Koenigsegg Regera 1,118 kW 1,499 bhp / 1,520 PS
Pickup Truck 2014 HSV Maloo GTS 430 kW 577 bhp / 585 PS
SUV 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 591.9 kW 794 bhp / 805 PS
Van 2014 Chevrolet Express

and

GMC Savana

255 kW 342 bhp / 347 PS

Highest Torque

Category Vehicle Name Measurement 1 Measurement 2
Car 2016 Bugatti Chiron 1,180 lbf·ft 1,600 N·m
Pickup Truck 2017 Ford Super Duty 6.7 Powerstroke 925 lbf·ft 1,254 N·m
SUV Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 822 lbf·ft 1,115 N·m
Van 2014 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana 525 lbf·ft 712 N·m

Other Vehicle Superlatives

Category Vehicle Name Measurement 1 Measurement 2
Fastest Acceleration 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder 0 to 100 km/h in 2.2 seconds 0 to 62 mph 2.2 in seconds
Category Vehicle Name Measurement 1 Measurement 2
Highest Top Speed Bugatti Veyron Super Sport 268 mph 431 km/h
Category Vehicle Name Measurement 1 Measurement 2
Highest RPM Redline Ariel Atom 500 10,500 rpm
Category Vehicle Name Measurement 1 Measurement 2
Most Expensive Production Vehicle Koenigsegg Trevita $4,850,000 /td>
Least Expensive Production Vehicle 1922 Briggs & Stratton Flyer $125 ($1,789 in 2016 dollars)

What is the fastest car in the world?

To figure out what is the world’s fastest car in production, you have to first define what is meant by “fastest.” Most people think it’s the fastest acceleration speed; for that, there’s the 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder, capable of going from zero to 62 mph in 2.2 seconds. On the other hand, a different metric would be how fast a car can go; the Bugatti Veyron Super Spot clocks in at 268 mph, which is a little more than four times legal limit of most of the U.S. and nearly a third of the speed needed to break the sound barrier.

When it comes to sheer power, though, you might want to instead consider pure engine power or the highest horsepower cars, like the Koenigsegg Regera (in the car category) or the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 (in the SUV category). There’s also other factors, like the highest torque, which goes to another Bugatti, the 2016 Bugatti Chiron.

What is the biggest car in the world?

The “biggest” car is also hard to define, but the heaviest car that’s gone into production is the International XT in the pickup truck category and the 1938-43 Mercedes-Benz 770 W150 in the car category, an old-school, WWII-era car that can only really described as a beautiful monster.

You could also consider “biggest” dimensionally. The longest car is a van, the Iveco Daily. The widest car is a truck, the Dodge Ram 3500 DRW. And the tallest is the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, another van.

What is the smallest car in the world?

It’s much easier to define the world’s smallest car that ever went into production. While the lowest car is the 1956-58 Lotus Eleven, the shortest, narrowest, lightest, and essentially smallest car is the Peel P50. It’s also pretty cute.

The Peel P50 was a three-wheeled, one-seat car with one door, one windshield wiper, and one headlight. It was smaller than most golf carts. It was designed in the tiny Isle of Man in the United Kingdom. It’s also an auction favorite since only 27 are known to exist. It wasn’t exactly popular, likely because of the manual reverse functionality.

Other Car Superlatives

  • Car Engine: The largest car engine in terms of engine displacement is a tie between the 1912-18 Pierce-Arrow Model 6-66 Raceabout and the 1912-14 Peerless Model 6-60. Both cars are from a time when car technology was changing and companies were trying to really push the envelope.
  • Most Expensive: The most expensive production car ever was more than $4 million: the Koenigsegg Trevita.
  • Best MPG: Ruling out all-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, the best and highest MPG is currently the 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid with 58 combined MPG. For all-gas vehicles, the result may surprise you: The best all-gasoline car for MPG was the 1986 Chevrolet Sprint ER at an amazing 48 combined MPG. How did it beat out so many modern cars? It was extremely light and had a three-cylinder engine.

These are some ways that the industry has gotten exciting: from the tiny Peel P50 to that massive WWII Mercedes-Benz to the super-fast cars of today. Which superlative record will break next?

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