A back-track on the history of the automobile
It is fun to drive the car youve always dreamt of. One takes pride in taking his or her car out for a test drive for the very first time.
While most of us who fancy driving the car of our dreams, does it ever occur to us how the first people felt when they got to hop on the very first cars?
One of the first prototypes of the automobile was the steam car which was introduced in 1771. 1885 was the year when the first gasoline-powered car was made by Benz Patent Motorwagen. However, the first patent for automobiles in the United States was given in 1789 to Oliver Evans. He was able to come up in 1805 a steam-powered car that was able to run both in land and water. It came with wheels and a paddle wheel which was used when it is travelling in water.
Between the years 1815 to 1839, Europeans were attempting to come up with their own versions of the automobiles from steam-powered to electric carriages that ran on non-rechargeable primary cells. In 1860, a Belgian-native built a car with internal engine that ran on coal-gas though it did not last long and the maker did not pursue improving it further. There were others who tried a hand at the car-making scheme but most of the early pioneers were sort of forgotten.
It was in 1888 when the first batch of automobiles was produced. They were under licenses granted in Germany and France (Karl Benz and Emile Roger). Mass production went underway in 1900. The United States first automobile manufacturing company was Duryea Motor Wagon Company in 1893. However, it was Old Motor Vehicle Company who dominated car manufacturing in the latter years.
The years following 1903 marked the Brass era for the automobile history which lasted for 15 years. This was called the brass era because of the widespread use of brass in the United States. It was during this time that signaled the development years for the automobile when more average people were purchasing automobiles.
Among the more popular cars that came out of this era were the Ford Model T with planetary transmission and pedal-based control system; and the Mercer Raceabout, one of the first sports cars.
From 1919 to 1929, more cars with its engine situated at the front have become popular. The engine itself also made relevant changes. This period was referred to as the Vintage Era. Among those vintage vehicles that were famous are: Austin 7, Bugatti Type 35, Ford Model A, and the Cadillac V-16.
During the time between the Great Depression and post WWII, the automobiles went through a new development. Cars with fully-closed bodies were best sellers. After the war in 1949, car revolution took place. This era gave birth to high-compression V8 engines and modern bodies.
The 1950s introduced more integrated designs with better engine power and vehicle speed. This was also the time when cars went global. During the 60s, performance was a great sell for America. Pony and muscle cars were front runners in the market. The Ford Mustang, which was one of the most popular cars that time, came in 1964. The Camaro from Chevrolet was released to compete with the Mustang. The succeeding y ears provided more revolution and innovation to the cars that we know now. It is obvious that all that we see today are improved versions of the first car prototypes. We are lucky to have the kind of cars that we have right now: more convenient, efficient, and sleek. Today, there is a wide selection of cars to choose from.
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About the Author: The author is an auro consultant, writes articles for various sites, particpates proactively of various websites. He resides in USA
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