World Records

Sixteen-year-old Chloe Chambers has set a new Guinness World Record for "fastest vehicle slalom," and Porsche now has a new performance metric to brag about for its 718 Spyder as the most agile car on the planet.

In December 2019, Germany's Dr. Dennis Freiburg stamped his name into the Guinness Book of World Records with the world's lightest ebike: the 6.872-kg (15.15-lb) Freicycle. Now, he's revealed how he did it – with a 600-watt friction drive motor.

There are few more spectacular demonstrations of nature's power than a thunderstorm. The World Meteorological Association (WMO) has now confirmed two new records for the biggest lightning bolts in recorded history, measured by duration and distance.

While large 3D-printed objects such as buildings may get a lot of attention, the technology is also used to produce tiny, intricate objects. The latter could soon be whipped up faster and in more detail than ever, thanks to a new printing system.

Mercedes-Benz's squat little Unimog trucks have proven their expeditionary prowess yet again with the announcement that a U 5023 truck has set a new altitude record for wheeled vehicles, reaching 6,694 m (21,962 ft) above sea level.

The extreme performance car business is a brutal one, and records that take companies years to set can fall within months to a determined competitor. Here's eight new and astonishing benchmarks the car world established in 2019.

With its 1,500-horsepower, single-speed direct drive hybrid powertrain, the Regera was built to destroy the 0-400-0 test. And destroy it it did.

In all this Tesla vs. Taycan business that's been making headlines lately, it's easy to forget who is actually making the world's fastest production electric street car.

Volkswagen's barnstorming electric race car has set a new benchmark for the 99 turns leading up to Heaven's Gate in China. With Pikes Peak hero Romain Dumas at the wheel, the ID.R ascended this stunning and treacherous road in 7 minutes, 38.585 seconds.

Porsche unleashes its 590-hp Taycan at Nürburgring and leaves fellow four-door EVs in its wake.

China’s Cyan Racing has taken to the tarmac of Nürburgring and come out the other side as the holder of two new records.

Once a year, the Delsbo Electric contest in Sweden challenges students to create and improve on the world's most energy-efficient vehicles. This year's champ, the Eximus IV, smashed the competition and all previous records with an electric equivalent of 687 MPGe (0.34 l/100km​).