The Three Greatest Automotive Urban Legends

Stories about our neighbor’s outstanding car performance and its impressive price tag are the most common. And then there are stories about funny incidents from the past involving automobiles. Like the one where the wife caught her husband cheating and in revenge sold his dainty Porsche for a measly $50.

In another story, a guy called Rolls Royce to express his discontent about the only sound he could hear while driving  – the ticking of a clock. To remedy the situation Rolls Royce sent someone to replace the noisy timekeeping device with a quieter one.

But what about some automotive mysteries? Intriguing, huh? In this post, we’ll share the three greatest automotive urban legends. Buckle up and prepare for the ride!

Automotive Urban Legends: Myths of Reality?

The Black Volga 

The legend of the Black Volga originated in the Soviet Union sometime in the 1960s – 70s. A failed government and the tension of the Cold War brought fear into the lives of common people. Even familiar everyday things – like cars – caused jitters, or more specifically – this one Volga.

No one knows where the mystery began. But one thing is certain – it spread like fire. No wonder why. Not a single person could see a driver behind the wheel, no matter how many times the car passed by.

Some folks claimed they saw a nun or a priest driving, while others believed it was Satan himself. The car was often seen on occasions when children went missing. And the legend claims that if you challenged the Black Volga, you only had 24 hours left to live.

The story of the Black Volga spread through Mongolia, Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, and Russia. Surprisingly (or not), it was the most expensive model at the time, and mainly available to the Communist Party and Soviet political officials, who, indeed, were the ones responsible for the nation’s fears.

The 200mpg Carburetor 

In the mid-1930s, a Canadian inventor by the name of Charles Nelson Pogue claimed he created a new type of carburetor that completely vaporized gasoline before introducing it to the cylinders, thereby extracting much more energy from the fuel. Unfortunately, he was denied a patent numerous times.

It was then that the rumors started. Several stories claimed there were people lucky enough to have experienced the miracle with their fuel. One guy completed a 1,879 mile trip on 14.5 gallons. Another one claimed to have driven 26 miles on a pint of fuel.

As rumors grew louder, the invention quickly gained popularity. But then people became curious. They wanted to see the carburetor. And that was never permitted.

No one reputable was allowed to see the mechanical miracle in action, let alone measure its results. Journalists began doubting the existence of the invention and decided to point their questions at Pogue himself. That was the end of the story, the inventor never mentioned the miraculous device again.

Those who chose to believe it ever existed settled with the explanation that “a bad guy” came along and bought the rights to the 200mpg carburetor and decided to keep it off the market forever.

The Invisible Lamborghini

Is there anyone who hasn’t heard the story of the infamous “200mph drug-dealer Lamborghini” yet? Well, here it is.

One night somewhere in Nevada, a cop was assigned a night shift by the graveyard, on a little-used road, where motorists were often racing. He had a radar gun and was on the hunt for anyone speeding. Midway during the uneventful night, when our law enforcement officer was practically asleep, his radar went bonkers for no apparent reason, registering 140 mph. There was no car in sight, so the cop thought there was a problem with the gun.

Surprisingly enough, the same thing happened the following week as well. This time, however, the gun registered 145. The seed of doubt was planted in the officer’s mind, urging him to check his radar. When he was told everything had been working properly, he decided to ask for help.

The next week the police officer had several other men positioned along the road. When the radar started to go off again, the officer warned his colleagues to prepare for whatever was coming their way.

He then went to the roadblock and what he saw was a Black Lamborghini Diablo driving without headlights. The engine has been baffled for silent running and the driver, who was a drug dealer, has been driving with night vision goggles.

Rumor has it, the last one is more than just a myth.

But we hope you can see why the rest of our automotive urban legends fail as truthful stories. Do you know of any other car-related tales that deserve attention? We are anxious to read your comments!