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Automotive Facts - Part 4: Automotive Developments 1920-1940
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| History of Major Automotive Developments |
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| Updated |
Mar 17, 2005 19:41:50 |
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Description:
  1920-1940 - The main components of the cars were well designed and Â
        efficient, and a variety of accessories were introduced, such Â
        as reversing lights, radios, automatic chokes, windshield Â
        wipers, and chrome-plated trim.  Â
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        Since World War II, most commercial vehicles are fitted with Â
        the magnetic speedometer, which was originally developed in Â
        the 1920s. Â
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        Tires, until the 1920s, were of narrow cross-section and ran Â
        at relatively high air pressures. As technology improved tires Â
        and they were made wider, they operated at lower pressures. The Â
        tire alone would not provide much comfort, however. Between Â
        the wheel and the body of the car it is necessary to have Â
        springs. Some carriages had had the body suspended by straps Â
        from the chassis ends, but the semi-elliptical multi-leaf Â
        spring was an early development. Leaf springs are still widely Â
        used on cars, especially on the rear axles. Early "shocks" Â
        were of the friction type, often consisting of a simple Â
        pivoted arm attached to the axle so that its movement turned Â
        friction discs like a clutch. Â
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        Between WWI and WWII, several very high quality cars were Â
        built, and some of these represented such an exceptionally Â
        high standard of craftsmanship and durability that, owing to Â
        changing economic circumstances, it is unlikely that cars of Â
        comparable quality will ever be built again. These include Â
        such classics as the Bugatti "Royale," Hispano-Suiza, Rolls- Â
        Royce "Phantom III," Bentley 8 litre, and the Delage. Â
        In America the trend was to power and luxury, while European  Â
        manufacturers concentrated on small, low-priced cars like the  Â
        Austin 7 in England, and the Italian Fiat 500.  Â
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        In Germany the KDF, which was to become better known as the  Â
        Volkswagen, was designed by Ferinand Porsche with the backing Â
        of Adolf Hitler. KDF stands for "Kraft durch Freude," that is, Â
        "strength through joy". Its basic shape still remains today and Â
        over 12 million have been sold. Â
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        In 1939, Connecticut instituted "vanity tags" for a premium Â
        fee. Â
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  1940-1960 - During WWII the production of private cars was severely Â
        restricted as raw materials were diverted to military uses. Â
        Factories were used to make military vehicles, ammunition and  Â
        air-craft components. When car production began again, the  Â
        first models were almost the same as pre-war designs, and it Â
        took a few years for the plants to re-tool enough to produce Â
        any really new designs.  Â
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        Power brakes were gradually introduced on road vehicles from Â
        the 1940s on.  Â
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        Shock absorbers became hydraulic and telescopic, consisting of Â
        a piston inside a sealed cylinder, one attached to the chassis Â
        and the other to the axle. Â
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        Many new models had powerful high compression engines, along  Â
        with independent front suspension. In styling, they became Â
        much longer, lower and more elaborate. Lightweight chassis- Â
        less bodies were adopted, and the use of curved glass for the  Â
        windshields and rear windows improved driving visibility a Â
        great deal. Â
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        Development of transistors during the 1950s led to the Â
        introduction of semiconductor ignition systems, which use Â
        electronic switching systems to control the ignition coil. Â
        There was a large, sometimes excessive, use of chrome plating,  Â
        and styling became one of the major preoccupations of the Â
        industry, with newer models being introduced yearly that were Â
        often mechanical images of those they replaced. Â
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        The tubeless tire was introduced by the Goodrich Company in  Â
        1948.  Â
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        Power steering, air conditioning, twin headlamps, and wrap- Â
        around windshields were originated in the States during the  Â
        early 1950s.  Â
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        Glass fiber reinforced resins, light and corrosion free, were  Â
        used on the bodywork of the 1953 Chevrolet Corvette, and for  Â
        the roof panel of the 1955 Citroen DS19.  Â
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        Advances in technology allowed the use of higher compression  Â
        ratios in fuel. Overhead valve and overhead camshaft designs,  Â
        with improved fuel systems (including fuel injection) along Â
        with better ignition system performance contributed to engine Â
        power outputs for a given cubic capacity being increased. The  Â
        resultant increase in power to weight ratio that was possible  Â
        improved the acceleration, speed, road holding and braking of  Â
        cars of that time.  Â
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        Disc brakes, less prone to failure from overheating than drum Â
        brakes, at last became widely accepted, over half a century  Â
        after Lanchester's original design was patented. Â
        Further improvements in roadholding and braking resulted from Â
        the introduction of radial-ply tires in 1953. Due to their Â
        higher cost, these tires were at first used only on expensive Â
        high performance cars, but they are now widely used on all Â
        kinds of cars.  Â
        The introduction of new plastic materials for interior trim  Â
        was a great asset for the stylists, and a wide range of color  Â
        schemes became available to match the body colors. Â
        The once universal oil pressure gauges and ammeters were often  Â
        replaced by simple warning lights, which are cheaper and less  Â
        complicated; they are also less informative. Â
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  1960 - Car design in the 1960s was greatly influenced by the new Â
        interest in safety and pollution control. Mechanical improve- Â
        ments brought higher speeds, better road-holding, braking and Â
        acceleration, but many countries began to introduce laws which Â
        restricted the maximum speed of vehicles. Cars had to be built Â
        to comply with the strict new safety and anti-pollution laws Â
        of the United States, which were gradually adopted by many Â
        other countries.  Â
        In addition to improved performance, cars became even more  Â
        comfortable and easier to drive.  Â
        Heating and ventilating equipment became standard on even the  Â
        small cheap cars where it had previously been available, if at  Â
        all, as an extra. Â
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        Automatic transmission, power brakes and power steering gained Â
        widespread acceptance. The electrical system, which had a more Â
        and more heavy load to handle, was improved by the introduction Â
        of the alternator to replace the dynamo, and the use of circuit  Â
        breakers instead of fuses. Â
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        One important development in engine design was the invention of  Â
        the wankel engine, which has a single three-lobed driving rotor Â
        instead of the conventional pistons and crankshaft. The first Â
        one was made in 1957 by Felix Wankel of Germany, and in 1964, Â
        the NSU company brought out the Wankel-engined "Spyder," and a Â
        few years later, the R080. The prototype Mercedes C111 and  Â
        several Japanese Mazda cars also have had Wankel engines, that  Â
        are light, compact, powerful and smooth running.  Â
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  1973 - The United Stated passed the Clean Air Act (which was amended Â
        several times since), with the immediate result of forcing Â
        cars to install positive crankcase ventilation. Â
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  1974 - The nation-wide 55-mph speed-limit became "permanent" in Â
        America. Â
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  1975 - The catalytic converter was adopted for most 1975 American Â
        cars and many imports as a means to fight fuel consumption. Â
        Computers play an important role in car construction now, as Â
        in everything else. The purchasing department is in charge of Â
        making sure that the glass, rubber, steel and everything else Â
        is on hand in the required amounts, and computers keep track Â
        of it all. The computer also schedules the construction of Â
        each car, and prints a sticker which goes on it, specifying Â
        the trim, optional accessories, and even where the car is to Â
        be shipped when it is finished. Â
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        In this age of the computer, it is only natural for automobile Â
        manufacturers to install on-board computers into the cars. It  Â
        is, after all, the only practical method of monitoring all the  Â
        engine variables at once. The on-board computer receives its  Â
        information from the various sensors located near or on the Â
        engine and processes the signals to adjust the fuel mixture,  Â
        timing and other elements. The process is continuous as long Â
        as the engine is running.  Â
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        The modern electro-mechanical carburetor is controlled by the Â
        computer as well. The fuel mixture is controlled by an oxygen Â
        feedback solenoid, located within the carburetor. The computer Â
        can control the speed of the car and determine when something Â
        is wrong. When the engine is cold, the computer operates from Â
        some predetermined values and the fuel mixture is fixed at Â
        full rich.  Â
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        The car will let us know about any unacceptable feedback, from Â
        the seat belts being unfastened to the key being left in the Â
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