DriveTimes Five
Cars for people who think big is best
Ever been bothered about the size of your car? Ever thought that getting something smaller might make parking a bit easier? Well, don’t buy any of these monsters. Today we look at the longest, tallest and widest cars, both in production now and ever made. Here’s a good benchmark to keep in mind as you read: the sizeable Ford Ranger ute is 5359mm long, 1860mm wide and 1815mm tall. Tallest now
The current towering beast of the production car world is the extended wheelbase version of the Rolls-Royce Phantom: 1641mm tall. This shouldn’t come as a surprise: the Phantom has the ability to make a normal sized human being look 3/4 scale when in or next to it. What is slightly surprising is that for some reason, the extended wheelbase version is 3mm taller than the standard-wheelbase Phantom. The tallest passenger vehicle currently in production, however (not counting vans) is the thoroughly ridiculous Brabus Unimog U500 Black Edition, which is a pickup truck and 2956mm tall – that’s right, more than a metre taller than a Ranger!
Tallest ever
The incredible Fiat 60 HP from 1904 is tallest car ever built and it was a true monster – at 2550mm (with its roof up) it’s only 406mm below the Brabus Unimog! The first car to feature Fiat’s all-new pressed steel chassis, the 60 HP was powered by a 10.5-litre inline four-cylinder engine that produced 60 horsepower (45kW), but was later upgraded to an 11-litre inline six that also produced 60hp. Possibly so they didn’t have to change the name. The Fiat was pretty big in other dimensions as well, but was surprisingly light given its size, weighing in at 1750kg – or roughly the same as a Holden Commodore. The fabric roof probably helped keep the weight down.
Widest now
At 2030mm wide (not including mirrors) the Lamborghini Aventador is a quite remarkable 170mm wider than the Ranger. This, more than any styling issue, is no doubt the main reason Lamborghini uses complex and expensive scissor doors on its flagship model. Not that any Lamborghini has ever been about practicality, but the Aventador goes even further into the depths of impracticality by being a mere 400mm narrower than your average parking space. Forget trying to get it through the drive-through of your local Maccas, then.
Widest ever
As wide as the Aventador is, it still falls short of the overall record held by the 1954 Chrysler Crown Imperial. At 2105mm wide, the 1954 Crown Imperial is only 92mm narrower than a Hummer H1 and a colossal 6005mm long – 1300mm longer than a Hummer! One of the most luxurious limousines available at the time, the Crown Imperial boasted Chrysler’s first fully automatic transmission, power steering and a 12-volt electrical system (most other cars were still using six volts). It was also very, very heavy – at 2600kg it weighed about as much as a Holden Commodore and a Suzuki Baleno.
Longest now/ever
The longest production car ever made also happens to be the longest currently on sale, and at 6499mm it outstretches even the massive Chrysler Crown Imperial limo. It is, of course, the thoroughly ridiculous Mercedes-Maybach Pullman. That huge length gives the Pullman’s rear passengers a travelling experience similar to that of first class air travel and is the result of Mercedes adding 1053mm to the Mercedes-Maybach S-class’s already massive 3365mm wheelbase. Several rear seating layouts are available, including four for those high-speed business meetings, but if you’re serious about your luxury, only two seats will ever be acceptable.