We all either own a car or have sat in one. On average a household owns 1.97 cars in U.S. in 2016 compared to when they were first commercially introduced. Have you ever wondered what is different in the cars before this generation or why they were different from today?
When the cars were first introduced in early 1900s they were not made for the public and were seen as a luxury. Most of them were box like with no focus on the aerodynamics. Their body was bulky and they produced less power hence less speed. Mainly because back then, the whole body was built as a single unit, and instead of using light weight metal, steel was used.
Chassis
Chassis is the base frame of any motor vehicle. There are three main designs for chassis in cars. If the material is folded twice, an open-ended cross-section, either C-shaped or hat-shaped (U-shaped) results. “Boxed” frames contain chassis rails that are closed, either by somehow welding them up, or by using premanufactured metal tubing.
C-shape
By far the most common, the C-channel rail has been used on nearly every type of vehicle at one time or another. It is made by taking a flat piece of steel (usually ranging in thickness from 1/8″ to 3/16″) and rolling both sides over to form a c-shaped beam running the length of the vehicle.
Hat
Hat frames resemble a “U” and may be either right-side-up or inverted with the open area facing down. Not commonly used due to weakness and a propensity to rust, however they can be found on 1936–1954 Chevrolet cars and some Studebakers.
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High performance custom frame, using boxed rails and tube sections
Abandoned for a while, the hat frame gained popularity again when companies started welding it to the bottom of unibody cars, in effect creating a boxed frame.
Boxed
Originally, boxed frames were made by welding two matching C-rails together to form a rectangular tube. Modern techniques, however, use a process similar to making C-rails in that a piece of steel is bent into four sides and then welded where both ends meet.
In the 1960s, the boxed frames of conventional American cars were spot-welded here and there down the seam; when turned into NASCAR “stock car” racers, the box was continuously welded from end to end for extra strength.
Typically the material used to construct vehicle chassis and frames is carbon steel; or aluminum alloys to achieve a more light-weight construction. In the case of a separate chassis, the frame is made up of structural elements called the rails or beams. These are ordinarily made of steel channel sections, made by folding, rolling or pressing steel plates.
Development in Cars
In the 1950s there was a demand for cars that were sportier and compact, hence the “Pony Car” terminology was introduced. One of the most popular pony cars in the current era is the Ford Mustang. During the 1900s since there was not enough technological advancements, so the interior of the cars was also very simple comprising of only three gauges on the dashboard; fuel gauge, oil gauge and the speed-o-meter.
In the late 1900s (1980 to 1999) there was a great improvement in cars. In order to capture the market the manufacturers started to improve the quality of the services provided with the cars and also the car itself. The cars were more aerodynamic than the previous ones. Also the engines were more fuel efficient than the previous cars. The overall shape of the car was made even more sportier than before.
In today’s world cars have become a necessity to travel from one place to another. Manufacturers have made different variations of the same model in order to cover up more market, which was not available in the 1900. Also in order to lower the carbon footprints the better performing engines are produced that increases the fuel economy of the car while reducing the carbon emission.Turbos have come quite a long way since their inception. Combine very precise turbocharger and the air/fuel ratios in the one millionth decimal range of precision. Timing is soon to be revolutionized by cam less valve lift, using computer actuated systems. Transmissions have more gears and shift one thousand times faster.
Some manufacturers took it up a notch by introducing hybrid cars. These are those cars that run on both fuel and electricity. This would reduce the carbon emissions a lot, also in it would also have zero emission as these cars wont use any fuel up to certain speed. Now the company are researching on zero emission cars (also known as electric cars). Some of the manufacturers (Tesla, Nissan, Chevrolet etc) already have zero emissions in the market, but since the technology is new these cars are relatively expensive.
The price factor of the cars have also changed a lot in the past two or three decades. In the 1980s and the 90s the price of the cars were comparatively cheaper than what they are right now (ranging from $2000 to $6000). This could be due to companies trying to enter the market. However in the recent years the prices of the cars have increased a lot with the cheapest cars ranging from $16000 to $20000 and going upwards for the new one. This could be due to more options available for the customers such as lease, finance and the availability of the second hand car on very low prices. Also with the increase in prices the demand for second hand cars have increased. People can afford to buy second hand cars at very low rates
Concept Cars
One more thing in the car word are the concept cars. These are those cars that are made ahead of its time. They have radical design or engines. Here are some of the concept cars as follows:
| Model | Notes |
|---|---|
| Alfa Romeo BAT cars | 1950s aerodynamic studies by Bertone. |
| Aston Martin Atom | Designed in 1939 by Claude Hill. Fully functional and still in road-worthy condition, it was adopted by Aston Martin owner David Brown into a racing car that won outright at the 1948 Spa 24 Hours and became the basis for the DB1. |
| Auburn Cabin Speedster | Considered the first concept car,[4] it was built in 1929 and used for publicity, touring the car show circuit until it was destroyed in a fire at a Los Angeles exhibit that also consumed about 320 other cars on display.[5] |
| BMW GINA | A fabric-skinned shape-shifting sports car. This platform (aside from the body material and changing shape) was adopted in 2012 for the BMW i3 and BMW i8 Electric Vehicles. |
| Buick Y-Job | Designed in the late 1930s by the famous General Motors designer Harley Earl. Considered by most to be the first concept car.[6] Inspired many other Buick vehicles, including the Buick Blackhawk Concept. |
| General Motors Le Sabre | Built by Harley Earl in 1951, it helped introduce 12 volt electrics and the aluminum 215 ci V8 to GM. This nameplate was transferred over to be a production vehicle. |
| Cadillac Cyclone | Built in 1959, it is one of Harley Earl’s last designs. Its futuristic styling was heavily influenced by 1950s aviation and rocketry. |
| Cadillac Debutante | Considered the most luxurious car ever built, the Cadillac Debutante came with leopard skin interior with a 24 karat gold instrument panel and fittings. |
| Chevrolet Corvette Mako Shark | Previewed the design of the 1968–1982 production Corvette. |
| Chevrolet Volt | One of the first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle concept cars. This vehicle was launched with limited availability in certain states in early 2011, with availability in all of the United States, as well as parts of Europe by the end of 2012. The production car is the successor to the failed GM EV-1, originally leased through Saturn dealerships. |
| Chevrolet Corvair Monza GT | 1962 mid-engined experimental prototype. |
| Dodge Tomahawk | A 2003 V10-powered four-wheel motorcycle-like design that drew attention for its audacity, and the debunked claim that it could hypothetically reach speeds of 300 to 420 mph (480 to 680 km/h). |
| Ferrari Modulo | Designed by Paolo Martin of the Italian carozzeria Pininfarina, unveiled at the 1970 Geneva Motor Show. |
| Ford Nucleon | A nuclear-powered car. |
| Ford Probe | A series of four designs between 1979 and 1983 of which the Probe III was eventually developed into the Ford Sierra. |
| Ford SYNus | First shown in 2005. This design was developed to explore the creation of an ultra-safe roadgoing environment. |
| General Motors Firebird | A series of gas turbine-powered cars. Pontiac adopted this nameplate based on the Chevrolet Camaro. The nameplate was retired in 2002, along with the Chevrolet Camaro, which was revived in 2010. |
| Holden Efijy | Based around the Holden FJ, named the United States concept car of the year for 2007.[7] |
| Lancia Megagamma | The prototype for the modern MPV (minivan).[8][9] |
| Mercedes-Benz F700 | Its PRE-SCAN road scanning suspension allows you to not feel any bumps and humps on the road (developed later into Magic Body Control). This design will lead to the development of the next-generation Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Mercedes-Benz B-Class, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. |
| MIT Car | The Massachusetts Institute of Technology concept car with Frank Gehry.[10] |
| Phantom Corsair | A 1930s concept car, developed by Rust Heinz. |
| Pontiac Bonneville Special | Pontiac‘s first 2-seater sportscar that debuted at the 1954 Motorama. This nameplate carried over to a Pontiac sports car of the 1950s. |
| Pontiac Club de Mer | Pontiac‘s all stainless steel sportscar that debuted at the 1956 Motorama. |
| Porsche 989 | Porsche‘s first 4-door car, a predecessor of the Porsche Panamera. |
| Rolls-Royce 1EX | The first in a series of ‘experimental models’, the 1EX was built by Rolls Royce in 1919 on a 40/50 h.p. chassis to test and develop their cars. Individual EX models were produced for over 40 years ending with the 45EX in 1958.The Ghost name Rolls Royce Ghost was adopted in 2011 as a production vehicle. 1EX was also used for the concept version of this Rolls-Royce vehicle.[11] |
| Volvo VESC | Used as testbed in the development of safety features incorporated into the Volvo 240 series cars, used by the NHTSA as a basis for later safety standards, including self-retracting three-point seatbelts, crumple zones, head restraints, rollover protection, and shock-absorbing zero-damage bumpers.[12][13] |
One last thing is that two decades ago cars were used as a mean of transport only. In the recent years it has become more than that, with technology such as Bluetooth connectivity, built in GPS, etc. Even though the main purpose is still there but it provides more to the customers now, such as Rolls Royce providing ultimate luxury experience to the customers, Lamborghini’s providing a sense of sportiness in its cars and Bugatti and Koenigsegg breaking the barriers of how fast a customer car can possibly go.
Cars are more than just a means of transportation, they are a piece of work, constantly developing and enhancing the experience of the ride and the rider. For most, it is a necessity, but for some, like myself, cars are a passion.
References:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/551403/number-of-vehicles-per-household-in-the-united-states/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pony_car
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-a-car-in-the-past-and-nowh
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