1. 1885 Benz Patent-Motorwagen
   1895 Ford Quadricycle
2. 1901 Oldsmobile Curved Dash
   1899 Peugeot Steam Tricycle

Built in 1885 by Karl Benz, a German engineer, the Benz Patent Motorwagen is classified as the first modern car using an internal combustion engine. The vehicle, which steered with a tiller arm, not a steering wheel, was produced until 1893. Only 25 were built.

1. 1905 Ford Model A
   1894 Panhard Levassor 4 hp
2. 1899 Columbia Electric Automobile
   1900 Liberty-Brush Runabout

Also known as a hand wheel or driving wheel, the first modern steering wheel was seen on a vehicle from a French manufacturer, the Panhard Levassor 4 hp. For the 1894 Paris-Rouen road race, someone at Panhard Levassor had the clever idea to remove the tiller from the vehicle and replace it with a steering wheel. And thank goodness they did!

1. 1902 Cameron Runabout
   1905 Ford Model A
2. 1901 Oldsmobile Curved Dash
   1900 Buffum Roadster

The Curved Dash Oldsmobile was released between 1901 and 1907. Over 19,000 Curved Dash Oldsmobiles were produced, and it was the first car to come equipped with a speedometer. Soon Cadillac and Overland models followed, and the speedometer became a factory fitted standard.

1. 1901 Cadillac Touring Car
   1908 Franklin Model A Roadster
2. 1907 Jewell Stanhope
   1911 Marmon Wasp

The rear-view mirror was used for the first time at the 1911 Indy 500, the first ever held. Ray Harroun won the race without the traditional second crew member who would call out the cars behind. Instead, he used a mirror, which saved considerable weight!

1. 1914 Studebaker
   1914 Chevrolet Light Six
2. 1915 Fiat 70
   1919 Peugeot Type 159

The 1914 Studebaker was the first car to use a dashboard-mounted gas gauge. Although simpler than what we know today, it was a far cry from earlier models, in which a dip stick was placed in the gas tank to tell the driver the gas level. Doesn't sound particularly safe at all! There were certainly few health and safety requirements in the old days!

1. 1895 Ford Quadricycle
   1899 Lohner-Porsche
2. 1898 Scharbach Roadster
   1892 Schloemer Motor Wagon

The Lohner-Porsche was the first hybrid vehicle ever made. It ran on a combination of battery power and gasoline. Each front wheel had its own motor, run on battery power. These were charged up using onboard gasoline engines. This vehicle was made until 1905 and was designed by Ferdinand Porsche.

1. Audi A4
   Volkswagen Amarok
2. Bugatti Veyron
   Ford GT

One of a handful of cars to hit 250 mph, the Veyron was introduced by Bugatti in 2005. It features an 8.0-liter W16 quad-turbo engine. It is also a little thirsty and gives gas mileage figures of around eight in city driving.

1. 1905 Napier
   1893 Duryea
2. 1905 Indian Tri-Car
   1897 Roberts Electric Stanhope

Believe it or not, the first car to reach the 100-mph mark did so back in 1905, and the car to achieve it was a 1905 Napier. Driven by Arthur MacDonald, the vehicle reached just over 104 mph on a track at Ormond Beach in Florida.

1. 1922 Lancia Lambda
   1922 Citroën Type C 5HP
2. 1923 Opel 10/30 (10/35) PS
   1924 Peugeot Type 173

Built in Italy from 1922 to 1931, the Lancia Lambda was a pretty unique vehicle. It was the first car to have an aluminum engine block and four-wheel brakes. Around 13,000 were built.

1. Aston Martin DB9
   Ferrari F50
2. SSC Ultimate Aero
   Porsche 911

The first car to officially break the 1,000 bhp barrier was the SSC Ultimate Aero in 2006. This hypercar is powered by a supercharged Chevrolet V8 that propels the Aero to around 256 mph. It was considered to be the fastest production car in the world from 2007 to 2010.

1. Citroën Rosalie
   Zbrojovka Z 5 Express
2. Jawa 700
   Steyr 220

Although there were plans to put the Citroën Rosalie with a diesel engine into production as soon as it was developed in 1933, legislation prevented it until 1935. The engine was not designed by Citroën, but by English diesel pioneer Sir Harry Ricardo.

1. Ford Thunderbird
   NSU Spider
2. Aston Martin DB5
   Chevrolet Corvette C1

Manufactured by NSU Motorenwerke AG in Germany, the NSU Spider was in production for a period of four years, between 1964 and 1967. With a body designed by the Italian styling house Bertone, the Spider was a looker. But it also was the first car in the West to use a Wankel rotary engine. This was a 498-cc unit which produced 54 hp!

1. Marmon
   Cadillac
2. Dureya Motor Company
   Nash

Cadillac started producing cars with V8 engines in 1914. These were 5.1-liter units, and in the first year of production alone, 13,000 vehicles with this powerplant were sold. The V8 became popular thanks to the fact that it offered more power, and the electric starter, invented in 1912, made the vehicle far easier to start.

1. Ford Fairlane
   Saab GT750
2. Porsche 911
   Oldsmobile Cutlass

Produced by Swedish car manufacturer Saab between 1958 and 1960, the GT750 was a version of the Saab 9-3, specifically marketed with the United States in mind. It included a number of performance upgrades and was the first car to include a trip computer. This mechanical analog system was dubbed the "Halda Speedpilot."

1. Ford GT40
   Lamborghini Countach
2. Ferrari F40
   Aston Martin Lagonda

The Aston Martin Lagonda first rolled off the production line in 1976 and was produced until 1990 by the British performance car maker. 645 were made during this period. The Lagonda has the distinction of being the first production car to include an LED instrument panel. Interestingly, to develop this, Aston Martin paid four times what they had budgeted for the car alone! Sadly, it was not very reliable, and by the third series of the car, the instrument panel had moved from LED lights to cathode ray tubes. That proved problematic as well.

1. 1995 Oldsmobile 88
   1995 Acura SLX
2. Fiat Barchetta
   Suzuki X-90

Oldsmobile was the first to introduce a modern GPS system on their vehicles in America — they did so in 1995. This wasn't standard but was an optional factory package that appeared on vehicles such as the Oldsmobile 88. Called "GuideStar," it only included maps for California at first. Las Vegas soon followed, and then other cities which could be loaded onto the system using a cartridge.

1. 2010 Nissan Leaf
   2004 Toyota Prius
2. 2006 Ford Focus
   2006 Nissan Almera

For some of us that hate parking, a self-parking car is a real blessing. The first car to offer this amazing extra was the 2004 Toyota Prius hybrid. This system was named "Intelligent Parking Assist" and could parallel park the car without any driver input!

1. 1948 Tucker 48
   1954 Chevrolet Corvette
2. 1957 Lotus Seven
   1957 Vauxhall Victor

The dream of Preston Tucker, the Tucker 48 only saw 51 units built. Why? Well, Tucker was indicted for fraud, although many say he was set up, as he was later acquitted of all charges. Sadly, it ruined Tucker, and his dream car never went into full-scale production. The Torpedo, as the Tucker 48 was called during development, was very modern for its time and included a third centered headlight that swiveled when the car was turning, plus a pop-out windshield for safety in a crash.

1. 1935 Alvis Firebird
   1919 Phianna
2. 1957 Moskvich 410
   1943 Toyota AC

Phianna was an American car company which in 1919 produced a vehicle with brake lights — the first to have such an innovation. Yes, something we take for granted now took decades to make it onto a car! Phianna models were expensive, and the company eventually closed in 1922 due to lack of sales.

1. 1938 Buick Y-Job
   1955 Fuji Cabin
2. 1956 Pegaso Z-103
   1955 Peugeot 403

The Buick Y-Job was an interesting vehicle. Essentially a concept car, the Y-Job was designed by Harley Earl. Not only did it have power windows, but it also had hidden headlamps. Oddly, the original car was at some point restored at the Henry Ford Design Center, although it is now back in GM hands!

1. Packard
   Bentley
2. Ferrari
   Volkswagen

Packard vehicles between 1939 and 1941 came with the option of air conditioning, installed by the Bishop and Babcock Company. The system wasn't a massive success, as it was clunky, took up a lot of trunk space and was expensive. Packard discontinued the option in 1941.

1. 1984 Nissan 300ZX
   1987 Eagle Medallion
2. 1988 Škoda Favorit
   1989 Bohse Eurostar

Part of the famed Fairlady brand from Nissan, the 300ZX was an acclaimed sports car. It was sold between 1983 and 2001 and over two generations, the Z31 and Z32. The 300ZX 50th Anniversary Edition was the first vehicle to include stereo controls on the steering wheel, making finding your favorite station much easier.

1. Ford Model T
   Curved Dash Oldsmobile
2. Buffum Runabout
   Austin 18/24

The first car to have a V8 engine in the United States was the 1905 Buffum Runabout. This engine produced up to 40 hp, which was pretty impressive at the time. Not many were manufactured, however, and it would take a few more years for V8s to become more mainstream, via Cadillac.

1. 1999 Alfa Romeo 166
   2000 Audi TT
2. 1998 Oldsmobile Silhouette
   1997 Smart Fortwo

A minivan, the Silhouette, was the first vehicle to offer a VCR system. Don't worry ... it wasn't anywhere near the driver to distract them. The system included a fold-down screen which could be viewed from the rear seats. The perfect gadget to keep the kids occupied on a long trip!

1. Chrysler
   Saab
2. Ford
   Citroën

Chrysler decided to embrace Bluetooth technology back in 1999, for their 2000 model year. Their interface was — and still is — called UConnect. Surprisingly, some manufacturers today still categorize Bluetooth as an option, not a standard feature.

1. 1965 Ford Mustang
   2003 Jaguar XJ (X350)
2. 1966 Cadillac Fleetwood
   1970 Pontiac GTO

Well, it would have to be a luxury brand that offered heated seats, right? In 1966, the Cadillac Fleetwood came with both heated seats and backrests. And how did they work? Well, with the flick of a switch, a coil within the seat would get warm and provide some heat. If left on, it could get pretty hot! Even today, heated seats work in pretty much the same way.

1. 1910 Isotta Fraschini
   1927 Pierce Arrow
2. 1921 Duesenberg Model A
   1907 Ford Model T

Isotta Fraschini was formed in 1900 in Milan, Italy. Although four-wheel braking was invented in Scotland by Arrol-Johnston, it was the 1910 Isotta Fraschini model that first put them into production. Isotta Fraschini was also responsible for a number of other motoring firsts, including the first production vehicle to have an inline 8-cylinder engine.

1. 1990 Opel Monza
   1991 Toyota Soarer
2. 1985 Volkswagen Golf II
   1976 Datsun 120Y

Although the 1956 Buick Centurion concept car had a backup camera, this never featured on the production car released a few years later. The first car to have this feature was the 1991 Toyota Soarer Limited, which was only marketed in Japan. The first car to come with such a device in the United States was another Japanese model, the 2002 Infiniti Q45.

1. 1958 Moskvitch 410
   1957 Mercury Colony Park
2. 1959 Volvo PV444/544
   1960 Fiat 500

With its two-door fast back styling, the PV44 was a product of Volvo from 1944 to 1966. It was specifically designed to be a smaller, more fuel efficient model than the larger cars around at the time. It was noted for its distinctive sloping back. It was also the first car to feature the shoulder seat belts we know today. Volvo never patented the design, allowing other manufacturers to copy it to help promote road safety!

1. 1953 Chrysler Imperial
   1955 Saab 93
2. 1957 Toyopet Master
   1955 MG MGA

Although Chrysler, like Packard, had tested the waters with air conditioning in the early 1940s, it was the 1953 Chrysler Imperial that would be considered the first model to use a relatively modern air-conditioning system, known as the Airtemp. It was much smaller and more reliable than Packard's earlier attempts.

1. 1987 Lincoln Town Car
   1982 Opel Kadett
2. 1989 Ginetta G32
   1988 Plymouth Acclaim

Car entertainment systems jumped from radios to 8-track players, cassette players and then CD players in the space of around 30 years! Now that is progress. The first car to include a CD player was the 1987 model of Lincoln's Town Car. Just 30 more years later, CD players are being phased out for audio streaming.

1. 1959 Mini
   1951 Chrysler Imperial
2. 1948 Volkswagen Beetle
   1967 Porsche 911

If you have driven a car with power steering and then tried to drive an older vehicle without it, you realize what a luxury it is. The first car to have this as an optional extra was the 1951 Chrysler Imperial. The feature was called "HydraGlide."

1. 2002 BMW E65/E66 (7 Series)
   1989 Alpina B10 Bi-Turbo
2. 1990 Daihatsu Applause
   1995 Holden Nova

BMW has been a leader in innovating car systems for a number of years. In 2002, they introduced the electronic parking brake to one of their flagship brands, the 7 Series. Instead of pulling a lever to engage or disengage the brake, you simply press a button on the dashboard.

1. Lancia Lambda
   Lamborghini 350 GT
2. Ferrari 166 MM Barchetta
   Maserati Tipo 26

The Lancia Lambda is an Italian car that was produced between 1922 and 1931. Around 6,700 units were built. Not only did the Lambda have an aluminum cylinder block, but it was also the first car to make use of a V4 engine. The engine itself went through a number of refinements over the years, and around 11,000 were built.