Who Knew, 1958 GM played with the idea of joystick/drive by wire for the impala.. some carryover from the Firebird concepts/prototypes of the 50s Anyway, it's neat. https://gmphotostore.com/1958-chevrolet-impala-poster/ Chappy
You need to have kids raised by video games rather than pinball machines before that will catch on! John
Extra bonus points for also being a convertible!!!! Is that what they mean by "highly optioned" on the TV auction coverage?
Cool photo! I think it would be very tough to convert drivers away from a wheel, especially in pre airbag days where the wheel was a sense of security. The steering wheel also supports your upper body mechanics while driving, on turns and during hard braking or head on impact. That left hand only control really doesn't offer much option to drive with your right hand. Good catch on the buckets Mark.
Unfortunately it did catch on. A lot of front-end loaders and road graders are joystick steer and operation. Shouldn't be too long before a maker brings out a car that you steer with your mobile phone.
I'd certainly feel more secure with a joy-stick than I would with one of them new fucking "self driving" cars.
Hydraulic steer-by-wire has already been a thing in recent years, though it didn't last after less than favorable reviews. I reckon GM had been looking at what Citroen were doing. Maybe they were drinking the LHM hydraulic fluid, too. That little joystick is less jet plane, more lawn tractor, though. I guess that's why it didn't hang around.
Maybe? Because the 55 Biscayne concept never fully got discarded after it was cut up by GM. But that's another story.
Steer-by-wire is not currently permitted by Federal regulations for manufactured regular production automobiles. It will be made so soon, as autonomous vehicles are all waiting on it.
1958 through 1961 Pontiacs were available with those seats, they were unique in that the back of the seat was stamped metal instead of just being covered with vinyl. They're worth a king's ransom today. Cadillac also used them, Buick and Oldsmobile may have as well but I'm not sure about that.
My former employer has completed vehicles that cannot be deployed, because they have not yet received their waver.
There's still a brake pedal for those 'OH SHIT' moments. But I guess the shifting, blinkers are on that remote?
Hello, The closest I got to a wacky car design and finished product was during the photojournalism time period. I was invited to come up to a city near downtown LA (Hacienda Heights) to see and photograph a new creation. Actually, it was a modified version of a custom car that would not have been identified by any hot rod fanatic. It looked like a T Bird, had a bubble top that opened up and could be taken off to make it a full open body roadster. There were many comments that it looked like Darryl Starbird’s /Ron Aguirre’s creations from the early days. It did look like it, but it was different. The bubble top was the comparison design and most looked at it as if it was the original one. After shooting a ton of photos, the owner allowed me to sit in the driver’s seat. Now, that was a new and odd thing. There was no steering wheel. But, a lever to move forward and back. It also moved left and right. The pedals were the same for braking and acceleration. It was similar to a sailboat/powerboat throttle lever. When you moved the lever it goes forward/back. Then the side to side motion incorporated the same idea with the throttle. The one time the owner allowed me to sit and move, the car went forward. But, steering and throttle was not working for me, so I gave it a few more turns and then opted out for the rest of the day. It was hard to drive forward, keep the throttle going while turning. Jnaki The magazines liked the concept, but did not feature it, as it was similar to the one from Kansas or California in overall looks, not the mechanics. It was disappointing, but as a continued act of good will, I gave all of the color slides, black and white finished photos, including several in custom frames and said I was sorry the editors liked, but did not want to feature the build. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/friday-art-show-6-5-20.1195961/#post-13614424 Similar in looks and design, but not the same custom car. great drawing by @Spoggie
Just wondering what the photojournalism time period is / was? A time in your personal life, or perhaps could you be referring to "The Golden Age of Photo Journalism" - the time from the 1930-1970's as defined in the photo history books? Gary
Hey G, It was a time when I started to get interested in photography. I did not have a still camera, but I did take movies with my dad's borrowed 16MM movie camera. I tried taking photographs with my dad's 4x5 press camera, but it just was not suited for teenage happenings at the beach or mountains with Brownie Cameras. So, by the time my brother got his first 35mm film camera, I knew I found a way to enjoy photography. It was a time when I could only use his camera when he was working or out with friends. So, I started to shoot things randomly. My writing was awful, but I tried to write down stuff that went along with my new found photographs. The photos were good, but the writing was a disaster. Jnaki The impetus was there, it just did not have the good grammar to go along with submitting a story to magazines or other publications at the time. By the time I was in my final two years of college, the writings started to make sense and the grammar style started to look better. So, I submitted some photos and storylines to publications. Some made it, some did not. So, it was a waiting game. Meeting my wife was a game changer. I had to improve or be left out… So, it was improve and do what was necessary to become a good writer/researcher/photographer. She helped me a lot back then, and even now. On our long road trips in the 1965 El Camino, rock music was to our liking, all up and down the California coastline. But, we also talked like no other couple. Ideas flowed, photography, short stories, reading, etc… and they all seemed to jibe with both of us, our ideals were melding and that was a sign. It was an attractive situation and has lasted to today’s pandemic times.
My journey wasn't so romantic. I joined the Army and they offered me a choice of jobs. I asked about photography more or less on a whim. But all that was available was photo lab tech, and for 3 years I developed and printed images taken by aircraft. I don't think I was even allowed to hold a camera on Army time. LOL. I started photography seriously in college with a bag full of cameras I got cheap overseas in the PX. I didn't know what to shoot or why just then, but I could print the shit out of any reasonable image I managed to create.
Drive by wire is not new My dad had a 1961 chevy grain truck that the throttle linkage broke and I used a piece of baling wire. In the 60s we did not have duct tape and zip ties. In farm country you could always find baling wire.
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