Lightest production car: Peel P50

The Peel P50 made on the Isle of Man between 1962 and 1966 weighed less than an average male adult, at a mere 59kg (130lb). Remarkably, the Peel is now back in production with an electric motor instead of the original 49cc moped engine.

Fastest-selling car: Ford F-Series

If you thought the 1964 Ford Mustang was the fastest-selling car ever, think again. The Blue Oval was indeed responsible for the hottest property on the planet, but it was the humble Ford F-Series pick-up. In one month (July 2005), Ford churned out no less than 126,905 of them.

Longest skidmarks: 6 miles (9.7 kilometres)

When Craig Breedlove lost control of his jet-powered Spirit of America land speed record car on the Bonneville salt flats in Utah in October 1964, the skidmarks he left measured six miles long. The longest skidmarks measured on a public road were made by a Jaguar on the M1 near Luton in 1960: in an era before anti-lock brakes, they were all of 290m (950ft) long.

Fastest car (top speed): 430kph Bugatti Veyron Super Sport

Earlier in 2013, the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport was stripped of its Guinness record because its speed limiter had been deactivated, but it’s since been reinstated. The final v-max figure was 267.9mph (430kph), achieved in July 2010 at VW’s Ehra-Lessien test track in Germany with Bugatti’s Pierre-Henri Raphanel at the wheel.

Fastest-accelerating car: Ariel Atom V8

The current Ariel Atom 3.5 is claimed to have a 0-62mph time of 2.7sec, but with a 500bhp V8 engine, a 0-60mph time of 2.3sec is quoted. Is that really achievable though? Well, one magazine did do 3.02sec with two people on board, so a significantly sub-3.0 second time does seem possible.

Highest altitude reached in a car: 6,688m in a Suzuki Samurai

The highest altitude ever reached by a car is 6,688m (21,942ft), up in the Andes. Chileans Gonzalo Bravo and Eduardo Canales took their 1986 Suzuki Samurai to the peak of a volcano in the Atacama region of Chile in April 2007.

Longest car: 100ft limo

The longest car ever built was, naturally, created in America. Legendary custom car guru Jay Ohrberg made the 100ft (30.5m)-long Cadillac limousine, which boasts 26 wheels, two driver's cabins (one up front and one in the rear) and has a hinged section in the middle so that it can actually get around corners. The spec list features a Jacuzzi, swimming pool, king-size bed and – yes – a helipad.

£12m Ferrari 250 GTO (USD $18m)

British DJ Chris Evans was the man who splashed out £12m on the car of his dreams: a 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO. Sold by RM Auctions in 2010, it just beats the next most costly classic – another Ferrari, this time a 1957 250 Testa Rossa – which sold for £10.2m (USD $15.4) in 2011. According to some reports, though, another 250 GTO sold privately in 2012 for even more than this – a reputed £22m (USD $33m).

€3m Lamborghini Veneno (USD $3.9 million)

Three million Euro is what Lamborghini will charge you for its new 750bhp, 356kph Veneno. Well actually, it won’t charge you that, as all three examples that are set to be built were pre-sold before the car’s 2013 Geneva Motor Show launch.

Heaviest limo: 23-ton Midnight Rider

It looks like an articulated truck – OK, it is an articulated truck – but Midnight Rider is actually a gigantic limousine. Created by Michael Machado and Pamela Bartholomew of the US (of course), it weighs a mighty 22,933kg, measures 21.3m (70ft) long and is 4.1m (13ft 8in) high. It can accommodate up to 40 passengers in supreme luxury.

Highest mileage: 3 million miles in a Volvo P1800

American Irvin Gordon is a bit of a legend. He bought his Volvo P1800S new in 1966 and now, aged 73, he’s covered very nearly three million miles (4.82 kilometres) in it, averaging around 60,000 miles (96,561 kilometres) per year. Volvo has just shot a video of him preparing for his 3 millionth mile, which he expects to complete in July 2013.

Smallest road-legal car

According to Guinness World Records, the smallest roadworthy car is ‘Wind Up’ – a converted Postman Pat children’s ride, which measures 52in (1,321mm) long, 26in (660mm) wide and 41in (1,040mm) tall. We’ve found a smaller one though: the Aphaenogaster by Californian Neal Ormond – it’s just 40in (1,016mm) long, 22in (559mm) wide and 20in (508mm) tall.

Longest distance driven on two wheels

You might have seen an impressive video of Terry Grant completing the hillclimb at Goodwood on two wheels in a Nissan LEAF, but we’ve got to take our hats off to Michele Pilia of Italy. In February 2009, he drove a 1983 BMW 316 E30 on two wheels for fully 371.07 kilometres.Longest distance driven on two wheels

Fastest speed driven by a blind driver: 182mph (293kph) in a Ferrari

I like the sound of Metin Senturk of Turkey. Not only is he president of the World Handicapped Foundation, he’s also a well-known folk singer and now a Guinness record holder. He’s driven a car faster than any other blind person: 182.03mph (293kph) in a Ferrari F430.Fastest speed driven

Most donuts: 280 in a Westfield

If there’s a difference between drifting and doing donuts, it’s surely the tightness of the turn. Dizziness is the limiting factor here, I reckon, and Jamie Morrow must have been swooning mightily after completing 280 consecutive donuts in a Westfield Sport 1600 at the 2011 Trax event at Silverstone.

Longest drift: 51.3 miles in a BMW M5

In May 2013, Johan Schwartz of the BMW Performance Driving School in South Carolina drifted a BMW M5 continuously for fully 51.3 miles (82.6 km). That beats the previous record set by Abdo Feghali in a Chevrolet Camaro by over 40 miles (64 kilometres). There is some erudite discussion among drifters as to what exactly the distinction is between drifting in a circle (which is what Schwartz did) and doing donuts (see next slide). We’ll get back to you on that.

World record-breaking cars

The motto of the Olympic Games is ‘faster, higher, stronger’ – well, you’re about to see the results of that same brave attitude applied to cars. Here are 20 of the car world’s greatest Olympians: the longest, fastest, highest, priciest and – yes – skiddiest cars ever.World record-breaking cars

Honda NSX 

Honda has rolled out yet another version of its NSX concept at Detroit 2013. Still, with super lightweight materials, a mid-mounted V6 engine, a trick all-wheel drive system and petrol-hybrid technology, this is one supercar we can't wait to see. Build it now, Honda.

Mercedes-Benz E63

If the BMW isn't your thing how about the latest E63 AMG from Mercedes-Benz? The E-Class gets a mid-life facelift, but the big news is the modifications to the 5.5-litre V8 engine, which now develops 549hp, or 577hp with the newly named 'S-Model' package. For us it has to be the £77,000 (approx. $123,269) estate version. Utterly bonkers.

BMW M6 Gran Coupe

It will cost nearly £25,000 (approx. $40,023) more than the BMW M5 and at a price just shy of £97,500 (approx. $156,088), is some £3,500 (approx. $5,603) more expensive than the M6 Coupe, but there's no denying the appeal of this Grand Tourer. Then again, it's hard not to like a rear-wheel drive, 560hp twin-turbo V8 car with four doors.