Cars: The Evolution of the Revolution

By Jasman Pal Singh

Origins of the Car

Nicolas Joseph Cugnot’s Steam Engine Car Model

The Steam Engine

• Cars at first were put simply, Thomas the Tank Engine without the rail roads

• The first person who put the steam engine onto a ‘car’ to power it was Nicolas Joseph Cugnot.

• Cugnot’s steam car reached, at that time, break-neck speeds of around 4 km/h

• The steam engine was a failure because they took up a lot of space, added a lot of weight and most importantly weren’t consistent as they stopped every 10-15 minutes to build up steam power

Early Electric Engines

• Electric engines aren’t as recent as most people seem to believe. The first electric powered automobile or carriage, in those days, was invented by Robert Anderson of Scotland

• The idea was soon abandoned as they were heavy, slow and expensive due to the amounts of electricity and its availability in those times

• This idea wasn’t a complete waste as from it we got tramways, streetcars and now electric trains

What an Early Electric Powered Looked Like

The Six Eras of Car Production

The Six Eras

Veteran Era (1880’s-1903)Edwardian Era (1903-1915)Vintage Era (1919-1930)Pre World War II Era (1930-1947)Post World War II Era (1947-1970’s)Modern Era (1965-)

The Veteran Era (1800's-1900)

The Veteran Era• The Veteran Era marked the start of car

production with Karl Benz's Motor Wagen in Germany

• By the start of the 20th century the car industry was taking off in Europe

• This era was by far the most fruitful with hundreds of different and new technologies being introduced to better man's urge to travel faster

• The technologies or ideas that survived like petrol for fuel and the 4-wheeled design of cars have become the basis for cars today

Karl Benz’s Motorwagen

Major Inventions and Breakthroughs of the Veteran Era

• Internal Combustion Engine• Petrol and Gasoline used as fuel• Partial Invention of modern disc brakes• 4-wheeled design of cars

Design of an Early Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)

Internal Combustion Engines(ICE)

• Early experiments for this engine used gases. • Swiss engineer François Isaac de Rivaz used

hydrogen and oxygen to create such an engine in 1806

• Our modern gasoline engines owe their credit to Siegfried Marcus who in 1870 put his gasoline powered engine on to a simple handcart and became the first to power car by gasoline

Edwardian/Brass Era(1903-1915)

Edwardian/Brass Era

• The Edwardian era was also known as the Brass era because of the widespread use of Brass

• Throughout the era motoring was for the rich as cars became more refined and reliable

• Car design was still in the 'carriage' style giving them their name 'horseless carriage'

• Modern characteristics like engines in the front of the car, rear wheel drive and use of ICE emerged

• The Ford Model T went into production becoming one of the best selling cars of all time

Ford Model T Parked in Melbourne

Notable Inventions

• Independant Suspension• 4-Wheel Brakes• Windscreen Wipers• Electric Ignition• Perfection of the Assembly Line

Windscreen Wipers

• There are various claims for the first windscreen wipers.

• Some say they were first used in France.• British photographer Gladstone Adams is

believed to have had the idea for wipers whilst driving home from a soccer game in 1908.

• In 1919 William Folberth marketed the first automatic windscreen wipers in USA

Workers in Action at a Ford Assembly Line

Bugatti Type 13

A Mercer Raceabout

One of the First Sports cars

Major Cars of the Era

• Ford Model T-- The most widely produced and available 4-seat car of its time. The Model T has been proclaimed the most influential car of the 20th Century

• Bugatti Type 13-- Notable race car with advanced engineering and design.

• Mercer Raceabout-- Redarded as one of the first sports cars

Vintage Era(1919-1930)

The Austin 7

Vintage Era

• The vintage era lasted from the end of WW I to the stock market crash in 1929

• The vintage era was an era of upgrades with more powerful engines and better looking body styles

• Cars became reliable, cheap and efficient• Increased popularity of Motorsport• Cars grow into a status symbol • Shortest of all Eras

The Austin 7

The Most Widely Copied Vehicle Ever

Exemplary Cars

• Bugatti Type 35– One of the finest and most successful racing vehicles of all time. It won over a thousand races throughout its five year reign

• Austin 7– Is the most widely copied vehicle ever, serving as a template for cars around the world

Bugatti Type 35

The King of Racing Vehicles

Pre World War II Era(1930-1947)

The Famous Volkswagen Beetle

Pre World War II Era• The Pre WWII era saw the rise of diverse body styles

like the saloon and sedan• The body also became lower, longer and broader• A modern luxury the trunk or boot was included in the

back of a car• Due to Great Depression the number of car companies

declined• First luxury cars rolled of production line, reaching

speeds of 140 kph• Standard military vehicles like Jeep came into production• No production of civilian cars due to WWII, companies

produced war products instead

Rolls-Royce Phantom III

Royalty Among Cars

Exemplary Cars

• Volkswagen Beetle– A modern take on the Ford Model T. It was famous for its efficiency and low price. It has been produced for over 60 years with minimal changes. It also has the largest production in history, over 20 million in several countries.

• Rolls-Royce Phantom III– The absolute zenith of pre-war engineering. It had superior performance and quality, not seen in most cars during that time. The Royce, even today, is considered as royalty among car manufacturers.

The Modern Volkswagen Beetle

Not Much has Changed

Post World War II Era(1947-1970’s)

The Ford Mustang

No Explanation Needed

Post World War II Era

• Post WWII cars had increased engine power and top speed

• Body styles became more flamboyant and a car’s looks were integral in the selling of a model

• American Muscle cars like Mustang and Camaro were introduced

• Safety while driving made a big impact, with seat-belts and lowered speed limits in cities

• Ferrari is born, remaining the most well-known car company

• Invention of the Turbocharger• By the end of the era small performance cars like Toyota,

Nissan and BMW become leading manufacturers

Chevrolet Camaro

The Mustang’s Arch-Rival

Porsche 911

One of the Most Beautiful Sports Cars Ever

Exemplary Cars

• Mini– The small, space saving car that is recognized everywhere. The popular TV character Mr. Bean is seen driving it

• Porsche 911– An expensive sports car that was and still is known for its beauty and handling

• Ford Mustang– One of the best-selling and widely collected cars of the era

• Chevrolet Camaro– Introduced by General Motors to compete with the Mustang

• Datsun 240Z– A Japanese sports car that was affordable, well-built and reliable. A sports car for the common man

The Mini

A Lovable Small Car for Everyone

The Modern Era(1965-)

Mercedes Benz S-Class

Comfort at its Best

Modern Era

• The Modern Era saw the increased use of computer-aided design

• A more diverse selection of body styles emerged like the Hatchback and SUV

• Fuel-efficiency was stressed with the knowledge of pollution and a decrease of oil reserves.

• Combined with another exponential increase in engine output made cars faster, more powerful and more reliable than ever

• The average cost of a car plummets, widening the variety of consumer, from high-class and lower class

Range Rover

Nothing Beats a Classic 4X4

Notable Innovations

• Turbochargers and Superchargers• Traction Control• Airbags• Possibilities of alternative fuel• Introduction of Hybrid Cars• Reliable small electric cars• Prospect of solar-powered cars

Toyota Prius

A Step into the Future of Cars

Exemplary Cars

• Toyota Corolla– A simple, small Japanese sedan• Range Rover– The first SUV. It was so popular a new

model wasn’t released till 20 years after the first• Mercedes-Benz S-Class– First to use modern features like

airbags and traction control. A status symbol for the rich• Honda Accord– Along with the Corolla it increased the

demand for Asian Sedans• Toyota Prius– The most known Hybrid vehicle in the world• Tata Nano– A small city car built primarily for the Indian

Market. One of the cheapest cars ever costing around $2000

Tata Nano

Cheap and Built for the Crowded Cities of India

Toyota Corolla

The Everyman’s Car

Honda Accord

The Competitor of the Corolla

A Glance at 'The Future'

Wonder What Features it will Have?

Solar Cars of the Future

Honda FC

The Futuristic Car that will Run on a Hydrogen Fuel Cell

Ferrari’s Future in Formula One

BMW’s Take on the Future

Sleek

Audi’s Design

As Shown on I, Robot

Peugeot

A Tad Excessive for the Future

Is the Scenery any Good in Space?

Thanks For Watching

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