Luxury cars are often described as vehicles that go beyond the necessary and into the realm of “necessary.” That refers to things you really don’t need but can’t live without once you’ve experienced it. Maybe that’s speed and performance, or maybe it’s just crazy things you don’t need (like mini bars and seat warmers). Maybe it’s a sleek stylish look that makes you look like a real winner at life when you’re sitting behind the wheel. If you’ve ever wanted to be the envy of all your friends, you want to buy a luxury car.
For almost as long as there have been cars, there have been luxury cars. Some brands cater almost purely to the luxury market (think BMW or Mercedes). Some cater to both the luxury and standard audiences (Lexus being part of Toyota, for example). So, if you’re looking for excuses to buy a luxury car, or if you just want to look on in envy of those fortunate enough to own one, buckle up and check out these amazing luxury car facts.
12. The Sound Of A Ferrari Engine Is Specially Tuned
Ferrari is certainly known for its high class build quality, and at the price point they’re asking, they should be. But Ferrari is also concerned about the details of their vehicle, they even tune the engine to control the sound that it emits. The engine is specially tuned utilizing 3rd and 6th harmonics on the air intake. In layman’s terms, they tune the sound, similar to how the sound in a flute or organ is regulated to form different pitches. It’s a pretty cool detail that is totally unnecessary, yet perfectly describes what makes a luxury car a luxury car.
11. The Bugatti Veyron Is A Supreme Guzzler
The Bugatti Veyron embodies what it means to be a gas-guzzling car, but it does so with supreme style. Reaching top speeds of 254 mph, the Bugatti Veyron will suck its entire 26 gallon tank in around 12 minutes. That’s an amazingly fuel-inefficient average of 2.3 miles per gallon. While emptying the tank, the car will travel an average of 51 miles. The car will also go from 0-60 mph in just 3 seconds. So the next time someone complains about low gas mileage, just point them to this car. Granted this car is traveling probably at least twice as fast as their car ever will, so it’s not too surprising.
10. The 1950’s Cadillac Eldorado Had A Mini Bar In The Glove Compartment
Topping the list of unnecessary luxuries in cars is the glove compartment mini bar featured in the 1950s Cadillac Eldorado. This is just perfect for those who simply can’t wait to have a drink until they get home. It’s not for the driver, mind you. It’s only for the passenger. The driver is required to sit there and get everyone safely home before he can enjoy a nice beverage. Perhaps that’s why the feature was phased out in future models. Perhaps the jealous drivers who paid for the car didn’t want their passengers getting all the benefits while they can’t join in on the party.
9. The BMW M5’s Engine Is So Quiet, It Warrants Fake Sounds
Normally, you hear people complaining about how loud and irritating engines are in cars, or how irritating that custom exhaust system is. Well, some luxury cars heard those complaints and decided to go the other way with it, making engines that run extremely quietly. The engine in the BMW M5 runs so quietly, that it’s even hard to hear. It can’t really be heard from inside the car at all. Apparently that freaked some people out when they couldn’t hear the engine, though, so they decided to create special speakers that output fake engine noises.
8. Three-Fourths Of Rolls-Royce Cars Produced Are Still On The Road
One of the biggest complaints about American cars is the feeling that they’re “built to fail.” Right around 100,000 miles or so, they’re pretty much guaranteed to start having crippling problems that cost more money to fix than the car may be worth. Some people think that’s a conspiracy theory to get people to buy more cars, but who knows for sure? Regardless, Rolls Royce clearly doesn’t have that problem. Over three-fourths of all Rolls-Royce cars manufactured are still drivable and on the roads. That’s an insane stat, especially when you consider they started making cars in 1906 and stopped manufacturing in 1971. Even the fact that the 1971 cars still mostly run is nothing short of a miracle.
7. The Tesla Model S Can Be Road Tested On An Indoor Track
Contrary to what some people may think, electric cars are not just a passing fad, and Tesla really steps up the game, entering into the luxury electric car market with their Tesla Model S. The Model S is a completely new type of luxury car that’s good for the environment and supposedly cheaper to operate than a standard car as well. In fact, they put out no emissions, so they are able to be drive tested on an indoor track in a closed building without the need of ventilation. The fact that no one has died from the inhalation of carbon monoxide seems to substantiate their claims.
6. The Dubai Airport Is Full Of Abandoned Sports Cars
Dubai is an interesting place filled with tons of sports cars and rich people driving them. However, some people, even there, like to try to live a little outside their means. Unfortunately for them, there is no such thing as bankruptcy in Dubai. So what do those people have to do? Well, they have to flee the country. Most of them decide to grab the nearest flight out, leaving their sports car in the airport parking lot. Therefore, the airport parking lot has become somewhat of a museum for abandoned luxury cars. It’s kind of interesting if you think about it. They blew all their money buying the car and then had to leave it behind to flee the country.
5. The Lamborghini Driven By Bruce Wayne In The Chris Nolan Batman Movies Is Actually Called “Bat”
Everyone remembers the Lamborghini driven by Christopher Nolan’s Bruce Wayne. Wayne, played by Christian Bale, drove a pretty insane Lamborghini Murciélago. Murciélago is actually a Spanish word that translates to “bat” in English. Of course, it’s a pretty obvious choice when you think about it. Of course Batman’s alter-ego would drive a car named after his secret identity and worst fear. Kudos go to Christopher Nolan for the insight on this one. Kudos to circumstance as well, for actually allowing that great Easter egg to be possible through the existence of the Murciélago prior to the creation of the movie trilogy.
4. The Police Department In Dubai Needs Luxury Cars To Catch Speeders
We’ve already established that Dubai is the home of the rich that own luxury cars. As if you weren’t jealous enough, even the police in Dubai get to drive luxury cars. The police force has a Lamborghini, a Ferrari and a Bentley, in its fleet. Of course, this is just obvious when you think about it. How else are the police going to catch up to those insane cars the people are driving to give them tickets? It would simply be impossible in some ratty old police car. But what an excuse. If you’ve ever wanted to drive one but don’t have the money, it might be worth trying to become a member of the Dubai police. It may just be your only hope.
3. The Lamborghini Aventador Has On-board Explosives
The Lamborghini Aventador has on-board explosives. That’s right, explosives. You may be wondering if this car is intended to be a suicide car. And while that may be partially true due to the speeds it can reach, it’s actually due to the way the doors operate. Since the doors swing up to open, if the car were to ever flip upside-down, which should be seen as a real possibility by speed demon drivers of these kind of cars, then you’d be trapped inside at the mercy of fate. In this instance, the door, which is rigged with these explosives, will detonate, blowing off the door and allowing you to escape.
2. One Of The Fastest Speeds Ever On The German Autobahn Was Achieved In 1938 In A Mercedes
In 1938, one of the fastest speeds on the German Autobahn (still to this day) was recorded. The speed of 268 mph was recorded in a Mercedes-Benz W125 driven by Rudolf Caracciola. Perhaps what’s so impressive about this is not the speed itself, but actually the year in which that speed was obtained. One would have to imagine that with all the advances in technology that can take place over nearly 90 years, that this record would not even be on the high score board anymore. But yet it seems that limitations in technology have not yet overcome this speed by as staggering of a range as one might think.
1. The Ferrari FXX Costs 2 Million Euros, And You Can’t Even Keep It
And finally, in one of the most interesting stories, the Ferrari FXX is a car that costs 2 million Euros, and you can’t even keep the car! Ferrari has built only 30 of these cars which, when purchased, must stay with Ferrari. When the owner wishes to drive the car, they must inform Ferrari, who will then bring the car to the specified track. It’s speculated that this strict regulation is to avoid releasing special advanced technologies to competitors. The good news is that Ferrari will fully maintain your purchase for you. Regardless of how good the car is though, it must feel really bad to not be able to show it off in your garage or driveway. The car is the ultimate in luxury. It’s so luxurious, even the richest of the rich can’t truly own it.
Reviewed by Unknown
on
December 10, 2015
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