First Car French inventor Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot creates the first self-propelled passenger vehicle in 1769. Cugnot's three-wheeled machine travels at a pace of fewer than 3 mph and runs out of steam (literally) after 10 minutes or so. First Electric Car Scottish inventor Robert Anderson straps an electric motor and battery cells to a carriage and creates the first electric vehicle in the 1830s. With lead-acid batteries still years away, the cells powering Anderson's EV require replacement upon running out of charge. First Patented Car Carl Benz applies to patent a "vehicle powered by a gas engine" on January 29, 1886. Benz's three-wheeled vehicle, famously known as the Patentwagen, boasts a single-cylinder engine with nearly 1 horsepower, as well as seating for two. First Car With A Steering Wheel Alfred Vacheron modifies his Panhard and Levassor by replacing its tiller with a steering wheel in 1894. First Electric Starter Electrical engineer H.J. Downing adds an electric starter to his Arnold motor car in 1896. Cadillac adds an electric starter to its 1912 cars and standardizes the technology's use. First Gasoline-Electric Hybrid Car Harry E. Day completes development work on his gasoline-electric hybrid Armstrong Phaeton in 1896. The car combines an electric motor with a horizontally opposed two-cylinder engine and includes a three-speed transmission and regenerative braking. First Car With A Continuously Variable Transmission Milton O. Reeves devises a CVT for his enterprise, the Reeves Pulley Company, to manufacture, and he demonstrates the technology on a vehicle bearing the Reeves name in 1896. Positive reviews of the CVT-equipped Reeves results in the company building a handful of the vehicles for public consumption through 1898. First Bumpers The Czech-built Präsident is fit with experimental bumpers in 1897, which fall off following a brief drive. In 1905, the Simms-Welbeck enters the fray as the first salable automobile to offer bumpers as factory-installed equipment. First Car With Electric Headlights The Columbia Electric Car introduces electric headlights—as opposed to more typical oil, kerosene, or acetylene burning lamps—in 1898. First Car With Assisted Brakes The 1903 Tincher breaks away from the pack with its trick air-assisted braking system. The technologically advanced Tincher's hefty starting price of $5,000, however, limits its sales appeal. First Car With An Automatic Transmission American T.J. Sturtevant develops a two-speed automatic transmission in 1904. He subsequently offers the gearbox on Sturtevant Touring Car and Flying Roadster models. First Supercharged Car The Great Chadwick Six becomes the first car with a supercharger after Lee S. Chadwick and J.T. Nichols install three belt-driven compressors to the car sometime between 1907 and 1908. Following competition success, Chadwick offers the feature as a $375 option on its production vehicles. Less than 10 Chadwicks are so equipped. First Rearview Mirror Ray Harroun fits a rearview mirror to his Marmon Wasp at the Indianapolis 500 in 1911. In 1912, Marmon adds rearview mirrors to its production cars. First Turn Signal Lamp Protex Safety Signal Co. introduces a flashing signal lamp in 1920 as an aftermarket accessory. Eighteen years later, Buick becomes the first automaker to offer factory-mounted turn-signal lamps. First Car Radio Chevrolet offers an optional Westinghouse radio in 1922. The $200 feature adds a large roof antenna, batteries under the front seat, and a horn speaker ahead of the rear seat. First Car With A Reverse Light Wills Sainte Claire introduces the A-68 Roadster in 1922, which includes a light that turns on when the vehicle is placed in reverse. First Car With Power-Assist Steering Francis W. Davis adds a power-steering unit to his 1921 Pierce-Arrow in 1926. Despite its advantages, power steering fails to catch on as a feature for passenger cars. Things change in the middle of the century, though, when Chrysler adds power steering to the 1951 Imperial and larger Crown Imperial. The feature is a $226 option on the former model and comes standard on the latter. First Car With A Windshield Defroster The windshield defroster gives drivers of 1928 Studebaker President Eight models a better view of the road ahead in winter weather conditions. First Car With Synchromesh Cadillac and LaSalle introduce synchromesh to the manual transmissions of 1929 models. The technology soon spreads throughout the industry. First Car With Hidden Headlights Cord introduces hidden headlights on its state-of-the-art (for the time) 810 in 1936. The front-wheel-drive luxury car features a coffin-like hood and headlights that rise from the front of the sweeping fenders. First Car With Air-Conditioning Packard kicks off the in-car air-conditioning trend with its 1940 Super Eight 160. First Car With Power Windows The 1941 Packard 180 emerges as the first car with power windows. The switch-operated hydraulic lifts allow all four side windows to go up and down without the need for a hand crank. First Power-Adjustable Seat Buick offers buyers an optional two-way power seat in 1946. First Car With A Rear-Window Defroster Cadillac makes reversing in cold weather easier by offering a rear-window defroster as an option in its 1948 models. First Car With Anti-Lock Brakes The 1966 Jensen FF sedan boasts an anti-lock braking system developed by Road Research Laboratories in England. First Car With Cruise Control Chrysler welcomes cruise control to its 1958 model line. Dubbed Auto Pilot, the setup is an $88.70 option on Imperial models. First Turbocharged Passenger Car Both Chevrolet and Oldsmobile embrace turbochargers in 1962. The Chevrolet Corvair Monza Spyder sports a 150-hp turbocharged flat-six engine aft of its rear axle, while the Oldsmobile F-85 Jetfire relies on a front-mounted 215-hp turbocharged V-8 for motivation. Source: https://www.motortrend.com/news/pioneering-automotive-firsts-cars-trucks-ev-details/
Hello, In growing up in Long Beach, there were many firsts. In looking for a hot rod or cruiser for acceptance into the world of surfing, we had a first. We had the First 40 Ford Sedan Delivery in Long Beach, Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, and the South Coast of So Cal that was seen at most surf spots almost every week. It took its coveted place among the family sedans and station wagons, while standing out with a salmon pink (orange red) color. When the original owner built the sedan delivery, he thought he painted it to look like this: But, the tired time period of midnight paint mixing and spraying took a different approach with the results. The final color was one big reason for him to sell the sedan delivery to me and taking out the 348 motor for another project he was starting. To me, the color did not matter, it was the vehicle’s image that showed the style of the sedan delivery. It was a first at my high school and all activities. First time stopped in a 1955 Chevy lowered with 4 teenagers inside made it low enough to have the police stop us after a rousing evening at the drive in theater hills. All coordination tests, “walk the straight line” and finger to the nose tests were the method of choice. As our friends drove by yelling obscenities at us and the local police. The 55 Chevy had a mild Cal Rake, but with 5 big teenagers filling the compartment, that gave the police probable cause to stop those rowdy teenagers for an inspection of them and the lowered 55 Chevy. The first time to be totally embarrassed in front of our friends. The First time to be embarrassed in front of my friends' parents was when we had to walk in front of them, the next morning, sitting just outside of the Chief of Police's office, with my parents in tow. The first time making a run at Lion’s Dragstrip : In the 1958 Impala, a slow start, but finished with an average speed and E.T. similar to my brother’s times. As the reactions got better, the E.T. got better and I eventually had the best E.T. for the Impala. My brother had the top speed. He won more trophies for first place, but I got my first trophy on a Saturday afternoon. Jnaki The first time building a 283 SBC motor with 6 Strombergs and listening to it fire up/run down the street. This in conjunction a first, 3-4 months later when we totally rebuilt the 283 into a 292 c.i. SBC motor all ready for the 671 supercharger. Our first time build of a blower spec SBC motor. similar to our SBC motor The first time putting the gas pedal down for a short but powerful burst down the street. A supercharged SBC motor is/was a first for us as teenagers. It was pretty outrageous with the amount of power that came from the 671 SBC motor. This motor was the start of our engine building business to make some money, as well as go racing at Lion’s Dragstrip. With our experience, I was the first in our high school class, to go down the dragstrip in something we built together. During the teenage time on the Cherry Avenue acceleration runs, driving the 58 impala in different build stages, I had the honor of being first among all of our high school hot rods, until the big bad RED 409 showed up.
I truly amazes me how early things were patented! Most of our “ hot rod” stuff was thought of early in the automobile history. And a lot of it was incorporated and perfected , first, in farm tractors around the turn of the century! Things like Hemi heads, roller lifters, rack and pinion steering, I saw all this on a 1904 farm tractor! Bones
Cool list, but it contains a few errors: -First turn signals was by Phianna in 1919: http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/p/phianna/phianna.htm -The first car radio was fitted to the passenger door of a Ford Model-T by 18 year old George Frost, president of the Lane High School Radio Club in Chicago in May 1922. -First synchronized transmission was by Isotta Fraschini in 1924 on their 8A model: https://www.supercars.net/blog/isotta-fraschini-8a/
The story of the first car with power steering has much more to it. An old Car Life magazine had the whole story, but is buried in my collection in the garage. As I remember the inventor had no luck in selling it to anybody primarily because the hydraulic boost offered no road feel. Buick borrowed the car to test in 1938 and returned it, not impressed. They did tell him that he would need both spares replaced. Seems that they shot gunned the front tires at speed to see how it affected control. Thus both spares now we're on the front and the fronts were in the spare wells. The other reason nobody bought the idea was, no one wanted to pay the licensing fees. When WWII started, development in hydraulic controlled steering became important, and the inventor redesigned the system with an artificial feel device to duplicate feedback. Artifical feel devices in steering systems use either a spring or a torsion bar this about 4 pounds of resistance. Because nobody wanted to pay royalties, Chrysler offered the original system in 1951, the year after the patent expiration. They sold lots of the systems. Enough that all the other big 3 gave in and licensed the improved feed back system so as not to lose more sales to Chrysler. I asked someone that owned a 1951 Chrysler with power steering, how he liked it. He replied that it really helped in parking and slow speed, but, he had to constantly correct the steering because he couldn't feel the road. I used to have a couple of the torsion bars for Ford and Saginaw to show people how they worked. In fact, if you look closely at the input shaft of a modern power steering gear, you will see a pin through the input shaft, that is attached to the torsion bar and the other end is pinned to spool valve inside the gear box. Just in case the bar should break a cup type shroud on the input shaft and spool valve will interlock after a small movement of the steering wheel. Of course there will be some slop in the wheel and no artifical feel. For those older cars with Bendix linkage type power steering, look at the cap on the end of then control valve. There are 2 low tension springs hooked to a rod that moves with the steering , as the steering wheel moves left or right, a spring is compressed and produces the artificial road feel. Aircraft with hydraulic flight controls use similar systems to prevent over control. Anyway, as Paul Harvey used to say, "And now you know the REST of the story!".
The Jalopy Journal
