20 interesting facts about classic cars

While there are different definitions of what makes a car classic, you’ll never see some iconic vintage models in the junkyard.

One thing is for sure: They are much more than just a form of transportation. More often than not, classic cars are coveted family heirlooms and are just as interesting as the people who collect them.

To celebrate classic cars and those who value them, we present a few fun facts about the hottest cars in history.

1. The first full-scale, self-propelled mechanical vehicle was introduced in 1769. This was a steam-powered tricycle used to carry balls around the city. (But, it weighed 8,000 pounds!) The Benz Patent-Motorwagen is believed to be the first modern automobile.
2. German inventor Carl Benz applied for a patent in 1886, and later his wife patented the first long-distance driving.
3. In 1913, the Ford Model T became the first mass-produced car. Three years later, 55 percent of all cars in the world were Model Ts, a record that has yet to be broken.
4. The 1964 Pontiac GTO is widely regarded as the first “muscle car”. Pontiac had the muscle scene in the early 1960s, but in 1968 this car had a lot of competition.
5. The Ford Mustang also made its debut in 1964. It was officially unveiled at the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows, New York. On the same day, the car was showcased in showrooms in America and nearly 22,000 Mustangs were purchased.
6. The first Chevrolet Camaro to roll off the production line was black. And originally, the Camaro would be called the Panther.
7. 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona banned by NASCAR. The car was called the Daytona 500, and it won its first race with record-breaking speed. But unfortunately it was too fast to last.
8. Pontiac’s “The Judge” (1969 GTO) is named after a TV show sketch. At the time, John DeLorean was the man in charge and chose to name the car after a show he watched and liked: “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.”
9. “The Judge” was also featured in what is considered the first rock music video. In the original TV spot for this car, Paul Revere and the Raiders sang a song they wrote about the car.
10. The original show “Dukes of Hazzard” had a total of 309 Dodge Chargers – all 1969 editions. How do you know the 1969 Charger from 1968? Look for the split grille on the front of the ’69 model.
11. A 1977 Pontiac Trans Am starred in the movie “Smokey and the Bandit.” Four were provided for the film – all of which were badly damaged during production.
12. Every member of The Monkees has been given a new Pontiac GTO. As part of their contract, everyone on the hit TV show received a hot car for personal use.
13. Pop-up headlights on the Dodge Charger were last used in 1973. Apparently, they didn’t seem very family friendly.
14. There is no 1983 Chevrolet Corvette. Instead, Chevy skipped a year and introduced an entirely new model in 1984. However, there were prototypes of the car, and all but one were destroyed. It now resides in the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
15. Porsche 916 has only 11 prototypes. It’s one of the rarest cars in the world, soon to be replaced by the cheaper Porsche 911.
16. Chrysler’s 426 HEMI engine was called the “elephant”. It was extremely large and extremely powerful. In fact, the first, second, and third row cars at Daytona in 1964 all had this engine—so NASCAR would eventually change its rules about the engine.
17. The most expensive car sold at auction was the 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R Formula 1 race car. It went to a staggering $30 million in 2013.
18. Do you have a classic car of your own? Here’s another fun fact for you: At Frankenmuth Insurance, we’ve been insuring cars since 1922 – long before they were considered classics. To protect your history, talk to an agent today about our collections car insurance.