From the time of creation of automobiles, there had been consecutive effort to invent new designs and technologies. This led to many events resulting in important chapters of the history of the automobile industry by launching new cars even in India. Here are some of such car facts which comprises of discoveries, creative designs and technologies which became stepping stones in the making of today's cars. In the year 1782, the first engine crank was built.
The credit of this revolutionary invention goes to James Watt whose improvements in the steam engine where fundamental to the changes brought by Industrial revolution in the Great Britain and the rest of the world. The first toll roads in U.S where opened in Pennsylvania and Connecticut in the year 1792. This introduced quality high speed roads to existence. Other major outbreaks which created a sensation in the automobile engines was of the spark plug and internal combustion engines. Jean Joseph Lenoir invented a two stroke internal combustion engine fueled by coal gas and triggered by an electric spark-ignition n 1858. Modern tyres are derived from the invention by Charles Goodyear, the vulcanized rubber in 1844. In 1895, Andre Michelin designed and fitted the first air filled tire to the motor car.
The complex laws and regulations for automobiles started in 1865 when speed restrictions introduced in UK. The act known as the "Locomotive act ", restricted the speed of horse-less vehicles to 4mph in the open country an 2mph in towns. Karl Benz invented and patented radiators in 1885 for using in his first horseless carriage. he first car was offered for sale, it was by Benz in the year 1887. Nine years later Duryea first started the production of motor vehicles in the U.S Auto insurance, the multi billion dollar industries now forms an integral part of automobile registration laws. In the year 1897, the first policy was purchased in Westfield, Massachusetts. Initially cars were steered with a tiller. Steering wheels were first introduced in 1898 by a Pan hard & Leaser model.
French became the first car manufacturers in the world. Automakers Pan hard & Leaser started production in the year 1889 followed by Peugeot in 1891. In U.S, Duryea was the first to start manufacturing motor vehicles. They started production in 1896. In 1896, Bridget Driscoll died when a passing car hit her in London. The event was the first road traffic death. At the beginning of 20th century, there were only 8000 cars in the U.S and barely 25,000 cars worldwide. Surprisingly only around 20 cars in Tokyo at that time! Amazing is the figure in 2002 where numbers show a growth of 21, 200% a whopping 530million cars world wide!! As old is the history of auto racing as motor vehicles. As the cars underwent numerous technology changes, the fundamentals of auto racing too were subject to metamorphosis. The common name for car racing, Grand prix, came into existence with its first use in the year 1901 in France. Since then, for over a hundred years, the world saw numerous types of auto racing, it emerging as a major sports and champions who became legends. The use of windshield glass is unavoidable in motor vehicles. The safety of shatter-proof glasses came into existence by its invention by Triplex in the year 1908.
Ford revolutionized the car manufacturing by introducing assembly line for their model Ford-T in the year 1908. The concept of assembly line was to produce automobiles with lesser effort and cost by making the process of production organized. It brought down the affordability of cars to the middle class which once was a plaything for the rich and elite. 15 million model Ts had been manufactured by 1927. A patent for windscreen wipers was given to Gladstone Adams in Britain in 1911. The first cars fitted with electric windscreen wipers came to the market in 1922. Americans Francis Davis and George Jessup invented hydraulic power steering system between 1920 and 1926. Chrysler imperial became the first production vehicle to be fitted with this system in 1952.
In 1929, the car radio was invented by Paul Gavin. He named it as 'Motorola'. The first car to be fitted with an electrical turn indicator was a Buick in the year 1938. Electric door locks where first introduced in 1956, later in 1958 the first remote adjusted side view mirrors was introduced. Soon the world realized the harmful effects of automobile pollution. The law on emission control was first introduced in California in 1965. After that many safety devices also became mandatory in vehicles. In 1978 Bosch developed the first Antilock Braking System (ABS) and first appeared in trucks and cars by Mercedes-Benz. ABS helps the driver to maintain the control on the steering while braking. Realizing the fast pace the crude reserves getting dry, major manufacturers started developing engines that use more than one fuel, the engines were known as hybrid engines.
In 1997 Honda and Toyota were the first to introduce cars with hybrid engines. When one buy's the car never remembers the brains behind the car technologies. It is all this latest innovation that helps to sell the cars in India or any country for that matter. Following are few of the worlds' top selling cars Toyota corolla: Had sold more than 35 million (production started in 1966). Volkswagen Golf: Sold more than 25 million. Volkswagen Beetle: 21.5million cars sold till the production ceased by 2003.It is the best selling car in the world whose shape has remained the same as the original design. Ford Escort: More than 20 million cars produced during 1968-2003. Ford Model T: In a span of 19 years, more than 15 million cars were produced.
