Worlds Fastest Production Cars by Decade Story: Mihai Andrei - (Feature Post, Technology) Cars have revolutionized the world we live in, and fast cars have fascinated people since the very beginning — often times for no real reason other than fame and glory. Let’s be honest — how often will you get to drive your car at 300 km/h, even if it’s able to go that fast? No matter the reason, we like fast cars, so let’s learn a bit more about them. Here’s a list of the fastest production cars, decade by decade. 1880-1889 | Horse carriage | 10-30 mph (16-48 km/h) I know, I know, this is not a car, it’s a horse-drawn carriage — but we needed a reference point. This is the Benz Motorwagen, one of the sleekest carriages ever made. There’s no definite maximum speed for carriages, but since speciallybred horses can reach some 40 mph free, it seems safe to say that 30 mph should be the top speed with the weight of the carriage and the passengers. It’s a real piece of art and history, but let’s move on to some real cars! 1890-1899 | Stanley Runabout | 35 mph (56 km/h) Oh yeah, now we’re talking! F.E. and F.O. Stanley were twins born in Kingsland, Maine, on June 1, 1849. They operated a dry-plate photographic business in Massachusetts until they entered the car industry in 1896 with a splash. They developed this magnificent car with a steam engine, the best option considering the available technology at the time. Steam engines often have fewer than 25 moving parts, so this powerful engine for its time was quite simple in essence, though its complexity was impressive. In 1897 the duo began producing automobiles in Massachusetts, selling over 200 by the fall of 1897. 1900-1909 | Mercedes-Simplex 60HP | 73 mph (117 km/h) The Mercedes Simplex was an automobile produced from 1902 to 1909 by the Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (DMG, Daimler Motor Society, a predecessor 44
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