The world largest cars

 As we mentioned in our “Are Cars Getting Bigger?” article; numerous cars have been produced throughout history that are considered exceptionally large. The average size of cars has fluctuated over time for an assortment of reasons. The first automobiles were quite petite, but flash forward to the mid twenties and many sedans were remarkably large cars such as the Model J Duesenberg’s that stretched almost 21 feet in length. Luxury cars from brands such as Duesenberg, Cadillac, Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Daimler, Lincoln, McFarland and others during the twenties and thirties offered some of the largest cars ever made in terms of length.  After this time period average car sizes were fairly consistent until the 1970’s energy crisis when they sharply decreased.  Ever since the late eighties the average length of cars have been on the rebound.

Although you can judge a vehicle’s size by weight, height, length and perhaps interior dimensions, we considered that a cars length was the component most often associated with how large a car is.  Therefore, the list that we’ve compiled below of the largest cars in the world is arranged in descending order from longest car on down through the fiftieth longest.  This list includes sedans, wagons, coupes and convertible cars, however excludes pickups, SUVs, vans and other types of vehicles as we strictly wanted the list to pertain to true cars.

At least to us, the list really isn’t all that surprising seeing that the top of the it is saturated with the extended wheel base versions of ultra premium luxury cars.  Evidently Germany and England automakers love their exceptionally large cars, since the top 11 largest cars on earth are manufactured in one of these countries.  Again it’s not that surprising, since these two countries are renowned for producing some of the best cars in the world.  If Mercedes-Benz didn’t discontinue their Maybach brand after last year’s model then it would have dominated the top of the longest cars list.  Our favorite car on the top of the list is the Bentley Mulsanne, which we believe carries its lengthy proportions the best and doesn’t appear to be stretched or look like an after-thought.  Perhaps to some it’s surprising to see any Ferrari qualify as one the top 50 longest cars in the world list, but if you see this AWD 4-seater in person then its considerable length is obvious (mainly due to its massive hood).

Many car enthusiasts would guess that some of the largest cars in the past half century were Cadillac’s from the sixties and seventies.  Despite this assumption, some late model cars are actually longer.  For example, the 2013 Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended Wheelbase is larger than almost every Cadillac and other lengthy car of this era.  The legendary 1959 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 sedan is longer than the Rolls-Royce at 244.8 inches, but is no match for the 2005 Maybach Exelero Coupe which stands at an incredible 245.3 inches.

Top 50 Largest Cars in the World:

1	2013 Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended Wheelbase	239.8 inches
2	2013 Rolls-Royce Phantom Sedan	230 inches
3	2013 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe	220.9 inches
4	2013 Bentley Mulsanne	219.5 inches
5	2013 Rolls-Royce Ghost Extended Wheelbase	219.3 inches
6	2013 Rolls-Royce Ghost Sedan	212.6 inches
7	2013 Bentley Continental Flying Spur Base / Speed	208.3 inches
8	2013 Audi A8 L	207.4 inches
9	2013 Jaguar XJ XJL	206.6 inches
10	2013 Mercedes-Benz S-Class	206.5 inches
11	2013 BMW 7-Series / Alpina B7 LWB	205.3 inches
12	2013 Lexus LS L	205 inches
13	2013 Lincoln MKS	204.1 inches
14	2013 Hyundai Equus	203.1 inches
15	2013 Ford Taurus	202.9 inches
16	2013 Audi A8 / S8	202.2 inches
17	2013 Cadillac XTS	202 inches
18	2013 Jaguar XJ XJ	201.7 inches
19	2014 Chevrolet Impala	201.3 inches
20	2013 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class	201 inches
21	2013 Maserati Quattroporte	200.7 inches
22	2013 Chevrolet Impala	200.4 inches
23	2013 Lexus LS	200 inches
24	2013 Dodge Charger	199.9 inches
25	2013 BMW Alpina B7 SWB	199.8 inches
26	2013 BMW 7-Series	199.8 inches
27	2013 Chrysler 300	198.6 inches
28	2013 Dodge Challenger	197.7 inches
29	2013 Aston Martin Rapide	197.6 inches
30	2014 BMW M6 Gran Coupe	197.3 inches
31	2013 BMW 6-Series	197.2 inches
32	2013 Buick LaCrosse	196.9 inches
33	2013 BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo	196.8 inches
34	2013 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class	196.7 inches
35	2013 Hyundai Genesis	196.3 inches
36	2014 Acura RLX	196.1 inches
37	2013 Tesla Model S	195.9 inches
38	2013 Porsche Panamera	195.7 inches
39	2013 Audi A7	195.6 inches
40	2013 Jaguar XF	195.3 inches
41	2013 Toyota Avalon	195.2 inches
42	2013 Chrysler 200 Convertible	194.8 inches
43	2013 Infiniti M	194.7 inches
44	2013 Maserati GranTurismo MC	194.2 inches
45	2013 Lincoln MKZ	194.1 inches
46	2013 Acura TL	194 inches
47	2013 Audi A6 /S6	193.9 inches
48	2013 BMW M5	193.5 inches
49	2013 Mercedes-Benz E-Class	193.4 inches
50	2013 Ferrari FF	193.2 inches

Hennessey Venom GT hits 270.49 mph, busts Bugatti Veyron's speed record

The Bugatti Veyron SuperSport caught the world’s attention in 2010 when it set the record for the world's fastest production car, but that crown may now have to be passed on. Hennessey Performance announced on Monday that its Venom GT hit 270.49 mph (435.31 km/h) at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, settting a new world speed record for a 2-seat sports car. Driven by former Michelin tire test engineer, race driver, and Director of Miller Motorsport Brian Smith, the time for the Venom GT was independently verified, but has yet to be officially recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records.

The blistering run took place on February 14 at the 3.2-mile Space Shuttle landing runway at the Kennedy Space Center with special permission from NASA. Taking place on a straight run rather than on an oval or a varied test track like the Nurburgring, this was a demonstration of flat-out acceleration from a dead launch, while still leaving enough braking space at the end of the run to keep it from ending in a very expensive crash.

“It was still pulling,” says Smith. “If we could run on an 8-mile oval we could go faster than that. On the very top end there was a little wandering but, hey, we’re going 270 mph! The Venom GT didn't require any big corrections, and the Michelins held traction really well.”

Verification of the Venom GT’s speed was by GPS data-acquisition systems manufacturer Racelogic. “The Venom GT attained a maximum speed of 270.49 mph as measured by our VBOX 3i GPS system,” said Racelogic engineer Joe Lachovsky.

The speed record is already steeped in controversy after challenges to the Veyron’s 2013 claim surrounding adjustments to the hypercar’s limiter. But after review Guinness allowed the record to stand.

The previous record of 267.8 mph (431.072 km/h) was set by Pierre Henri Raphanel in the 1,183-hp (870-kW) Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport in July 2010.

However, despite this month’s result, Hennessy cannot officially claim the fastest production car record because that requires making two runs in opposite directions on the same day. John Hennessey explained in an interview with Top Gear that this wasn't possible because NASA wouldn't allow it.

Based on the Lotus Elise/Exige, with which it shares a number of components, the 2,743 lb (1,244 kg), mid-engine, rear-wheel drive Venom GT is not what most people would call elegant, with its carbon fiber and composite/aluminum hybrid monocoque-space frame, massive brake-cooling vents, oversized, yet cramped two-seater cab followed by a rear that looks like someone gave it a swift kick in the pants. That being said, the Venom GT is built for the track, not garden parties, and all the flaring wings and road-gobbling grilles come together in a frighteningly attractive Koenigsegg sort of way.

Inside the Venom GT is a 90-degree, seven-liter V8 engine with twin precision ball bearing turbochargers, an iron block with aluminum heads, electronic sequential multi-port fuel injection pumping a terrifying 1,244 bhp (914 kW) and 1155 lb-ft (1565 Nm) of torque feeding into a Ricardo six-speed manual gearbox.

On the track, this translates into 0 to 60 in 2.7 seconds, so you'd know what it feels like to leave your eyeballs behind. The Venom GT already holds the Guinness World Record of 0 to 300 km/h in 13.63 seconds and the Hypercar World Record for 0 to 200 mph in 14.51 seconds. Beyond its verified speed of 270.49 mph, Hennessy claims that the Venom GT can do 278 mph (447 km/h) flat out..

"“I wanted to be an astronaut when I was a kid," says company founder and president John Hennessey. "Neil Armstrong was my childhood hero. Even though the astronaut thing didn't work out for me, I am humbled to have had the opportunity to set our speed record on the hallowed grounds of the American space program. Building and validating our Venom GT as the world’s fastest has been a long journey and a lot of hard work. But as President Kennedy once so eloquently said, ‘We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.’ As a result we have built a better car and a better team at Hennessey Performance (HPE)."

If you’re interested in buying a Venom GT, be prepared for a little cry because the record-breaking version sells for US$1 million.

Tesla's Gigafactory to significantly reduce Li-ion battery production costs by 2020

As Tesla’s Supercharger network expands and Model S sales continue to grow, so too does the company’s need to find a more economical battery solution. A proposed technology amalgamation in the form of the Gigafactory could theoretically reduce per kWh and lithium-ion costs by over 30 percent by 2020.

Pitched as a "forward looking project," Tesla’s proposed Gigafactory will, if successful, produce the same number of lithium-ion batteries by the year 2020 as the entire world’s output in 2013. According to Tesla, by working with various technology and battery partners on this large scale project, the company could significantly reduce production costs by achieving optimal economies of scale.

The basic business concept behind the Gigafactory is to reduce overall costs associated with logistical waste by having manufacturing and similar processes all located in the same place.

Projected figures from Tesla show the gigantic factory producing 500,000 units per year by 2020, with expected battery cell output of 35 GWh/yr and battery pack output figures of 50 GWh/yr. Current global battery output, from a variety of manufacturers, sits at just under 35 GWh/yr.

Tesla reports that by the end of its first full production year, the Gigafactory could reduce the cost per kWh of a battery pack by around a third.

Though the project is still hypothetical, Tesla is already looking for real estate to house the Gigafactory in one of four southern US states. Space requirements for the factory, and its supplemental wind and solar stations, are reported to be between 500 - 1000 acres (up to 400 hectares). Total space requirement for the factory itself is projected to be 10 million square feet (929,000 sq m), housing up to 6,500 employees.