April 29, 2010

Flash Past Episode 13

Flash Past to……….. Early days of production automobiles (pre WWII)

Free Podcast Subscriptions

Episode UStream Video Link

Show Notes

▪    1885 Benz Patent Motorwagen – Karl Benz
▪   The first company formed exclusively to build automobiles was Panhard et Levassor in France, which also introduced the firstfour-cylinder engine.[7]:p.22 Formed in 1889, Panhard was quickly followed by Peugeot two years later.
▪   In the United States, brothers Charles and Frank Duryea founded the Duryea Motor Wagon Company in 1893, becoming the first American automobile manufacturing company. However, it was Ransom E. Olds and his Olds Motor Vehicle Company (later known as Oldsmobile) who would dominate this era of automobile production. Its large scale production line was running in 1902. Within a year, Cadillac (formed from the Henry Ford Company), Winton, and Ford were producing cars in the thousands.
▪   On 5 November 1895, George B. Selden was granted a United States patent for a two-stroke automobile engine (U.S. Patent 549,160). This patent did more to hinder than encourage development of autos in the USA. Selden licensed his patent to most major American auto makers, collecting a fee on every car they produced. The Studebaker brothers, having become the world’s leading manufacturers of horse-drawn vehicles, made a transition to electric automobiles in 1902, and gasoline engines in 1904, but they continued to build horse-drawn vehicles until 1919.
▪   1908–1927 Ford Model T — the most widely produced and available car of the era. It used a planetary transmission, and had a pedal-based control system.
▪   1910 Mercer Raceabout — regarded as one of the first sports cars, the Raceabout expressed the exuberance of the driving public, as did the similarly-conceived American Underslung and Hispano-Suiza Alphonso.
▪   1910–1920 Bugatti Type 13 — a notable racing and touring model with advanced engineering and design. Similar models were the Types 15, 17, 22, and 23
▪   1922–1939 Austin 7 — the Austin Seven was one of the most widely copied vehicles ever, serving as a template for cars around the world, from BMW toNissan.
▪   1924–1929 Bugatti Type 35 — the Type 35 was one of the most successful racing cars of all time, with over 1,000 victories in five years.
▪   1922–1931 Lancia Lambda — very advanced car for the time, first car to feature a load-bearing monocoque-type body and independent front suspension.
▪   1925–1928 Hanomag 2 / 10 PS — early example of envelope styling, without separate fenders (wings) and running boards.
▪   1927–1931 Ford Model A (1927-1931) — after keeping the brass era Model T in production for too long, Ford broke from the past by restarting its model series with the 1927 Model A. More than 4 million were produced, making it the best-selling model of the era.
▪   1930 Cadillac V-16 — developed at the height of the vintage era, the V16-powered Cadillac would join Bugatti’s Royale as the most legendary ultra-luxury cars of the era.
▪   1932–1939 Alvis Speed 20 and Speed 25 — the first cars with all-synchromesh gearbox.
▪   1932–1948 Ford V-8 — introduction of the powerful flathead V8 in mainstream vehicles, setting new performance and efficiency standards.
▪   1934–1940 Bugatti Type 57 — a singular refined automobile for the wealthy.
▪   1934–1956 Citroën Traction Avant — the first mass-produced front-wheel drive car, built with monocoque chassis.
▪   1936–1955 MG T series — sports cars with youth appeal at an affordable price.
▪   1938–2003 Volkswagen Beetle — a design for efficiency and low price, which progressed over 60 years with minimal basic change.
▪   1936–1939 Rolls-Royce Phantom III — V12 engined pinnacle of pre-war engineering, with technological advances not seen in most other manufacturers until the 1960s. Superior performance and quality.