Advertising Last completed movie pages
Archived comments - Page 1/3 [ Next ] Related page = Movie vehicles
| Author | Message | Date |
|---|---|---|
| explorer4x4 | 20 Cars that Changed the World?? I have never heard of any of these things except the Honda Civic! Where is Tempo, Explorer, F-150, Bronco, Mustang, Thunderbird, Gran Torino, Crown Victoria, Econoline, Windstar, Focus, Escape, Expedition, Edge, FreeStyle, Escort, Model T, Galaxy, Ranger or 500? There is your 20 greatest cars!  |
2006-05-10 06:42 |
qwerty_86  | It was made by Europeans so it's biased. .gif ";)") My list (not based in terms of "I like them" but more based on what they actually did for society): 1. Ford Model T (developed assembly line and the way cars are built) 2. VW Beetle (very popular car) 3. Edsel (you'd be surprised how many innovations came from this car) 4. Oldsmobile Toronado (first big FWD car) 5. Honda Civic (revoulutionized society's views of compacts) 6. Audi 5000 (revolutionized aerodynamic styling) 7. Ford Taurus (revolutionize round car design) 8. Dodge Caravan (first minivan) 9. Jeep Cherokee (first unibody SUV) 10. Toyota Prius (first mainstream hybrid car) 11. Mini Cooper (first compact FWD car) 12. Ford Mustang (first mainstream pony car) 13. Pontiac GTO (First muscle car) 14. Citroen 7 Traction Avant (first FWD car) 15. Cadillac Seville (first FWD car with 300 HP) 16. Chevrolet Corvette (first American sports car) 17. Mazda RX (Rotary Engine Experiment turned out really well) 18. '32 Ford (started the Hot Rod craze) 19. '59 Cadillac (the apex of American cars) 20. Subaru Impressa WRX (started the rally/drifting craze) |
2006-05-10 07:02 |
sixcyl  | 20 Cars that Changed the World ... by Explorer 4X4 1-Ford Tempo 2-Ford Tempo 3-Ford Tempo 4-Ford Tempo 5-Ford Tempo 6-Ford Tempo .. 20-Ford Tempo :D |
2006-05-10 08:18 |
| sixcyl | 60% US cars 40% non US... Dear qwerty86 are you sure your list is not biased in certain way I wonder what Ford Taurus is doing at the 7th place, before cars like Mustang, Austin/Morris Mini, Citroen 7CV..? and I'm quite surprised to not find a 1955 Citroen DS19 in such a list ,not just because I'm french,but because revolutionary concept of this car is very wide spread admitted all over the world  |
2006-05-10 09:02 |
| explorer4x4 | Sounds about right, A couple cars I changed the automotive world would be a Model T, Ford Thunderbird/Plymouth Fury/Chevrolet Corvette which all brought home affordable sports cars, Ford Mustang (A Race Car for the everyday business man) and the Jeep Wranger/CJ-series which gave you the ability to travel anywhere like no other. And, I only know things about American made cars and certain foriegn car makers like VW, Nissan and Honda and actually, to tell the truth, hadn't heard of Citroen before joining this site! And, I think everyone's opinion on what cars changed the world depends on their nationality, like my list would be 90% US made cars and French would probably have 90% French made cars or in my language: American's would choose the Ford Tempo and Canadian's would choose the Mercury Topaz. |
2006-05-10 09:29 |
antp  | Believe it or not, I had never heard of a "Ford Tempo" before working on this site |
2006-05-10 10:06 |
Alexander  | Well, the real Tempo is either this  or that  . |
2006-05-10 10:36 |
| antp | I knew the second one  |
2006-05-10 10:52 |
stronghold  | ..you forgot this one.!  anyway...ALL the other Tempo's are better than the Ford.!! .gif ":)") |
2006-05-10 10:58 |
| Ralph | Cars That Changed the World: Ford T , Austin Seven , DIXI VW Beetle VW Golf NSU Ro 80 (Rotary Engine) Mercedes SL 300 Gullwing Audi Quattro Citroën 2CV Renault 4 Austin Mini , FIAT 500 , Smart for two ... Maybach Zeppelin DS8 Citroen Traction Avant Lancia Stratos VW Bus BMW 328, BMW 2002, BMW M3 (E30) Land Rover 88" Ferrari GTO -- Last edit: 2006-05-10 13:32:18 |
2006-05-10 12:58 |
wickey  | cars that changed the world - definitely on first place is VW Beetle - I hate it, but it is true Ford T - how is possible to sell such amount of cars befora WWII?! AM General Humvee (Hummer) - it is just something different. Citroen DS - was it from this planet? Jaguar E-Type - sexiest car ever NSU Ro 80 - is this an engine? Fiat 600 / Multipla - little big car (also Morris Mini) etc. etc. -- Last edit: 2006-05-10 14:00:36 |
2006-05-10 14:00 |
| antp | It is difficult to say which car really changed the world, except the Ford T for which I agree. For example, in France the Peugeot 205 could be seen as quite important, as it saved Peugeot (and so Citroën maybe also?). |
2006-05-10 14:50 |
| jplemoine | Et l'Autobianchi Primula? Quand même: Traction ET moteur transversal avec boîte séparée (une première et l'architecture actuelle de 80% de la production mondiale...). La 2CV, naturellement...  Je repense à une Opel, du début du siècle (années 1910, + ou -), premier moteur multisoupape, à cinq soupapes par cylindre... La 205 n'a été une révolution que commerciale, techniquement, ce n'était qu'une réactualisation de la 104. La 204 était autrement plus en avance sur son temps! La 2CV, bien entendu... Le Range-Rover, premier SUV: le tout-terrain à portée du 16° arrondissement. La 403 Diesel: une trace olfactive définitive dans nos villes! Les Renault des années 70 (valable pour Fiat, Alfa-Romeo et autes s'ils sont jaloux!): les premières voitures écologiques et biodégradables. Elles avaient même une légère tendance à se biodégrader très vite, avec un allié précieux: la corrosion! La 2CV, bien sûr... le tout en toute objectivité! -- Last edit: 2006-05-10 17:01:37 |
2006-05-10 16:27 |
| jplemoine | Et j'oubliais: la Simca-Chrysler 180, pour n'avoir strictement rien révolutionné du tout! Sans oublier la 2CV! |
2006-05-10 17:12 |
| Arnaultl | Et Gregoire ? hein ? traction / moteur a plat / suspension bizzare ? et Panhard ? Et la 2CV ? et la Renault 4 sans graisseurs a circuit de refroidissement étanche et 10 ans de tests au moins ? et la 2CV ? et la Mercedes 300SL injection ? la Renault 14 poirée ? J'ajouterais dans celles qui n'ont rien révolutionné, bien que JP ai largement raison de citer la 180 (on pourrais faire un détour par la Morris Ital aussi) : tout un tas de trucs 70's, mais aussi le conter pied de la Deuche : la Dyane ! T'enlève toutes les qualités d'une Deuche, tu améliore un truc ou deux (que tu collera sur la Deuche plus tard d'ailleurs ! ) et tu garde tout les défauts de la Deuche en en rajoutant ! Brillant (nota : j'adore cette bagnole, ça empéche pas d'etre objectif )Enfin, mon bide favori reste l'indetronable Olcit / Citroën "Axel"... la seule bagnole qui combine a peu près tout les défauts imaginable : peu logeable, bruyante, inagréable, gloutonne, rouillante, invendable, moche, mal finie, mal construite, mal vendue, y z'ont même reussi a faire des moteurs de GS pas solide pour celle la ! (tout en gardant l'innomable accessibilité de la GS niveau mécanique)... Si ça c'est pas un top ! faudra que j'en achète une 20 € et que je la coule dans de la résine a l'occase |
2006-05-10 18:05 |
| wrenchhead | Few cars or concepts have had any real impact on the world or the industry. In fact, it amazes me that so little really new inovation has has occurred over the years. Cars today have all kinds of gadgets but are basically still a box driven by a internal combustion engine - little different in concept from the first ones. The cars/concepts that have had a lasting impact on the industry and could be said to change the world includes perhaps: The first Benz - the first car (in terms of commercial success) with internal combustion engine - Practically all cars since are based on the same concept. Ford Model T - introduction of assembly line construction, the real impact was to reduce cost (~ US $600)to the point where the average person could own a car. Practically all cars makers since the T have used this process. Citroen 2CV - small, cheap, reliable, easy to repair, air cooled car for the masses. This set the stage for the VW and similar very successful cars. Citroen Traction Avant - large scale production of front mounted engine, front wheel drive cars with unitized monocoque body (I think Cord was the first FWD big car but few were produced and were not monocoque). The monocoque body and unitized front engine/drive is now standard on most cars. The Mercedes-Benz 260D and the Hanomag Rekord introduced the diesel engine for autos (there was also a very rare Citroen at about the same time). This has has a lasting impact on the industry particularly for truck applications. The Spyker 60 HP introduced 4 wheel drive but Land Rover really popularized it. This has had a major impact on the industry with both cars and trucks (mainly SUVs). I leave out all the weird stuff/styles/cars that saved companies/one of a kind/etc. (and all Fords since the T )as they have had little or no impact on the industry or the world. |
2006-05-10 18:07 |
| Arnaultl | Just a comment : The first, if I remember, diesel engine in Mercedes Benz on large sale car, is on Mercedes 180D on 50's, but not sure. |
2006-05-10 18:35 |
| sixcyl | ...many things to learn dear Explorer 4X4!... all along the life! Open mind people whatever their nationality would not agree with this statement... question of intellectual honesty |
2006-05-10 19:30 |
| sixcyl | ..un sujet à développer, les plus "beaux flops" dans l'histoire de l'automobile |
2006-05-10 19:34 |
| explorer4x4 | I also had not heard of the Ford Tempo/Mercury Topaz before I got my Tempo! Then I did a ton of research and I know it as well as I know myself. I did not know that Ford owned Mazda or Volvo or that Chrysler was bought out buy Mercedes so I would think I've come a long way. |
2006-05-10 19:47 |
| wrenchhead | I agree, in my experience, american makers are generally not that innovative. Most of the basic automotive innovations have historically been european. One notable american innovation cited (the assembly line) has nothing to do with the development of the car but rather its mode of manufacture. |
2006-05-10 19:57 |
| sixcyl | On that point, I agree with you wrenchhead... though many improvment of the technical design of cars is effective for the 120 years of automobile, the basic thermodynamic engine is still here and roughly similar to the first engine made àt the end of the 19th century.... So what are these 20 cars that changed the world in fact?... I would answer, there are not 20, but 2000 millions (?...I don't know how many cars have been produced up to nowadays and all over the world since cars exists ...sorry  )... and this exponential increasing number of cars on the planet is the obvious and major fact of the role of automobiles in a changement of our world!... Personnally, as car fan I could be pleased about it...but in fact I'm rather worried about it, because it joins the much more important problematics of annouced ecologic disaster if biggest polluter nations do not act to slow down this crazy running ahead... All western countries are responsible, and USA at first, and tomorrow China... |
2006-05-10 20:28 |
| antp | D'autres y ont déjà pensé http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_automotive_flops |
2006-05-10 20:30 |
| jplemoine | Liste de flops à compléter, que ce soit pour mévente lamentable, ou pour mise au point désastreuse, nous aussi, en Europe, on en a de joyeux... Peugeot 605 (et Citroën XM) en début de commercialisation: une voiture dont le minimum qu'on puisse dire est qu'elle se plaisait au garage... Citroën SM: (ne hurlez pas!): un moteur pas du tout au point, une voiture globalement aussi belle que trop hâtivement conçue. Il lui fallait passer par un stage chez un garagiste du nom de Georges Régembeau pour qu'elle devienne enfin performante et fiable, deux qualités qu'elle n'avait pas en sortie d'usine... Et j'en oublie, et des pires et des plus ignobles... |
2006-05-10 20:49 |
| antp | Pour la XM c'est encore plus triste : voiture qui a très bien commencé sa carrière, elle était assez au point. Puis un an ou deux après le lancement certains composants électroniques/électriques sont mal choisis et c'est la catastrophe. Les premiers modèles étaient fiables en fait. Pour la 605 par contre je ne sais pas. Dire que sans ce problème elle aurait pu avoir une carrière comme la CX  (et en plus au début elle se vendait bien en Allemagne aussi...) |
2006-05-10 20:54 |
| jplemoine | On continue le défilé des désastres, avec, chez Opel, la série des moteurs Ecoturbo-diesel: le portefeuille de ceux qui sont tombés dessus s'en souvient encore! Les Renault 14: sans commentaires, ça serait trop cruel... Les Morris Marina et Ital: même chose, mais en pire! Les Citroën Axel (Oltcit): je repense à la joie des Roumains qui ont enfin pu s'en débarrasser... Le multiplexage appliqué à l'automobile: fallait bien retrouver une cause de merdoiement, c'est réussi!  |
2006-05-10 21:19 |
| explorer4x4 | I hate to sound rude but I have never heard anything so wrong in my life! First of all, what have company's like Volvo, Citroen, Toyota, Nissan, Saab or MG done for the automobile industry? Here is a list of 20 things American automible makers have done for the car world or innovative inventions: Ford Model T > Developed the assembly line on a large scale and enabled the majority to own a car, without the Model T, only rich people could own cars. (2006, Chicago auto show) Ford Super Cheif concept pickup (based on F-250) > First pickup ever to be able to operate on gasoline, Hydrogen or Ethenol. It is luxurious, just as powerful as the regular F-250, stylish and has a V10 engine and gets better mileage then the Toyota Tundra or Honda Ridgeline ppickups. 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid > Has brought us the hybrid SUV with better economy then most sedans like the Hyundai Sonata 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche Ethenol pickup > First production pickup crossover to run on ethenol. 1986 Ford Taurus > Brought the auto-world aerodynamics on entry level midsize sedans. The Ford Tempo > First compact to have AWD, seat five and have an availible V6 engine. 1984 Dodge Caravan > First ever minivan 1955 Ford Thunderbird > Fastest mid-class sports car with a 5.0L V8 1998 Lincoln Navigator > First luxury SUV The Ford F-series > Best production pickup ever, strongest, longest lasting and best looking. 2006 Dodge Ram SRT8 > Fastest pickup ever. 1945 Jeep CJ-2A > First offroad 4x4, capable of going places company's like Land Rover or Toyota would faint if mentioned 1961 International Harvestor Scout > First SUV 1974 Jeep Cherokee > First offroad capable midsize SUV 1935 Chevrolet Suburban > Largest and most capable large wagon (and later SUV) Ford F-350/Super Duty > Strongest pickup truck Saturn PreVUE > First crossover SUV/coupe 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac > First pickup/SUV crossover Plymouth Fury/Dodge Monaco > Best, longest lasting and fastest police cars 1970 Pontiac GTO "The Judge" > Fastest muscle car There's you list of innovative cars and, some of which DID effect the entire automible industry. Oh and why picku on the U.S. for polution? We have the most fuel efficeint cars and trucks! Well, maybe the Toyota Prius has us beat but it is U-G-L-Y. The Ford Escape Hybrid/Mercury Mariner Hybrid, Ford Super Cheif concept, Chevrolet Avalanche/Cadillac Escalade ethenol trucks and Jeep Compass are good examples of "fuel efficent" economy friendly vehicles! Does Citroen even have a hybrid/fuel friendly/ethenol car? I know Volvo and Mazda don't! |
2006-05-11 00:01 |
| antp | Citroën made lots of innovative things with the "Traction" and the DS. Volvo was quite innovative for safety. Toyota was the first to really develop Hybrid cars (Ford's hybrid system comes from Toyota...) I do not really see what it has so special for aerodynamics I'd like to have some more serious info about that (and especially compared to non-US cars  )Actually lauched nearly at the same time as the Renault Espace, and both were coming from a project developped by Chrysler UK & Matra. And the Fiat 600 Multipla could be considered as a Minivan, it was much older. I thought it was the Toyota that was the strongest? And best looking is, IMHO, very relative Maybe we could list the 2003 F-150 and another SUV of the same time as one of the worse crash-test result? Most fuel efficient concepts, you mean And for that Mercedes & Saab for example also made some concepts/tests...Even if they are late for hybrids or alternative fuels, at least the diesel engines from PSA (Peugeot-Citroën) are quite clean an have a high MPG. Very useful Like the other "first crossover/SUV" etc. I can say that Renault was the first for crossing a coupé with a minivan with the "Avantime" In your list, the "first something to do something" is not especially very innovative. And most are related to SUV... it seems that for you it is the ultimate invention Nearly all are not very innovative. I could say that VW is the first that made a car that used only 3L/100km (VW Lupo TDI), and there are probably lots of cars that were the first in their category... as they create new categories for lots of cars only for marketing purpose. There are lots of more important inventions than creating a new body type... -- Last edit: 2006-05-11 00:27:14 |
2006-05-11 00:23 |
| wrenchhead | I would suggest that you base your comments on history or facts and not bias, opinion and argument. A lot of your statements (first, fastest, best, etc.) are simply not correct. In addition first, fastest, best looking, etc. does not change the industry or world unless its sets a precedent that becomes more or less standard. I think few, if any, any of the things you mention meet this test. |
2006-05-11 00:55 |
| wickey | hmmm. where to begin what about 3-points safety belts? (i think it is a huge improvement )First side airbags in history also etc.Volvo is not very good example for car that done nothing for automotive industry - especially in the field of safety. |
2006-05-11 02:24 |
| Explorer4X4 | What year was it put on a production car? Okay, well maybe SOME of the cars I mentioned did not change the entire auto-world, but they at least changed their maker's world. 1) Toyota developed the Hybrid on the Prius, not an SUV. The Ford Escape Hybrid/Mercury Mariner Hybrid were the 1st hybrid SUVs. 2)If you have noticed, after the Ford Taurus introduced aerodynamics to the automobile industry on the everyman car, cars all around the world have been producing aerodynamic cars, or cars that aren't square boxes like the Chevrolet Malibu or Cadillac Fleetwood. 3)The Renault Espace was launched in 1984 and the Dodge Caravan was launched in 1983 as a 1984 model. The Fiat 600 Multipla is not a minivan, it is a compact. 4) The Ford F-150: 5.4L 300HP V8 (standard on 06 F-150 FX4) Toyota Tundra: 4.0L 236HP V6, standard on SR5 Access Cab (optional: 4.7L 271HP V8) Expert Rating (looks, performance and power) for the F-150 is 8.5 and user is 8.2 according to msnautos.com Expert Rating for the Tundra (looks,performance and power) is 7.0 and User is 7.2 Also, the Tundra has been around since, what, 2004? The F-series has been around for over 50 years! Now, which one sounds a little longer lasting? 5)The only concept I mentioned was the Ford Super Chief, which I must say, Ford has to put it in production1 If they don't put the exact Super Chief in production, I'm sure it will go in the F-series some how. According to edmunds.com A F-150 hybrid/ethenol/gas has been planned and will be here in a few more years or at least by 2010. And, I'd say we have some pretty fuel efficient cars, GM makes over 20 cars with a MPG (city) of over 30, the Escape/Mariner are the most fuel efficient SUVs availible and not to mention the Ford Focus and Fusion which also get great MPG with over 30 and the Jeep Compass, Dodge Neon/SRT4 , Caliber (26MPG city) and Magnum (21MPG city) and Chrysler PT Cruiser (21MPG city) all get good MPG. Although, this did not change the world. 6) Dodge Ram SRT8, 150 record the pickup. It changed Ford! Ford is introducing the 2007 Ford F-150 Roush Racing Truck. |
2006-05-11 02:58 |
| wrenchhead | Volvo had seat belts, as standard equipment, in 1959 (the first). My 1962 P1800 had 3 point belts as standard equipment. The first american car to offer seat belts was the Tucker. Although offered as options, Ford and other american cars only had seat belts as standard equipment in 1968 WHEN THE FEDERAL LAW REQUIRED IT. As a matter of information the 3 point system was developed by a swedish engineer - Nils Bohlin. The Ford Taurus introduced aerodynamics Check your VW or Porsche history while you take a look at this 1938 Delahaye. http://www.madle.org/dela135msFuF38.jpgThe current crop of gum drop, aerodynamic american cars cannot be attributed to Ford innovation. It was a result of the federal laws that mandated MPG criteria for american cars and aerodynamic design is one of the ways to acheive that. The VW bus was introduced in 1948 and it was a van by any definition. Your comments on horsepower, expert ratings, EPA ESTIMATED MPG figures, etc. require no further comment. They are simply opinion and show a large bias toward big inefficient american cars. There is absolutely no problem with your preference for them but they generally do not exhibit innovations that change the world or the industry. -- Last edit: 2006-05-11 04:48:18 |
2006-05-11 04:44 |
| explorer4x4 | The picture you posted of the Delahaye is not an everyman car, or the standard, middleclass person does not own one. And, the VW Bus is not a MINIVAN. It was a van. If you want that, the Ford Econoline E-series was older. You should probably revise you comment on big, inefficient American cars and change that to: Efficient American cars. Unless you think the Chrysler PT Cruier, Dodge Neon or Ford Focus big. And, if you do some researhc, you'll find almost all American cars are efficient in fuel economy/performance/durability. And, I'd like to know what non-U.S. auto makers did for the ENTIRE automobile world? Ford, you have to admit, is responsible for the assembly line, Dodge is responsible for the family minivan, Ford is responsible for the pickup truck, Jeep changed the world by introducing offroad capability for the every-day driver and International Harvestor gave the world the SUV. |
2006-05-11 05:28 |
| explorer4x4 | And something about Volvo, Ford and seatbelts. Seatbelts have been around since the 1880's on airplanes. The first seatbelt installed on an automobile was on the 1956 Ford vehicle lineup. It was an optional safety feature, I believe it was a two point/lap belt. So, once again, Ford was a first. So, Ford brought us the assembly line, the seatbelt and pickup truck AND so I read, the pickup-based SUV with the Ford Bronco based off of the F-100, just like the modern-day Ford Explorer is based on the Ranger. | 2006-05-11 05:44 |
| qwerty_86 | My list really didn't have any order. It was mainly based on cars that I know something about. Didn't Mercedes develop the airbag and ABS and fuel injection? | 2006-05-11 08:08 |
| antp | Toyota/Daihatsu/Honda were the first to put it in a sedan/hatchback/coupé/convertible, that's better than just a SUV "developping it on a SUV" has nothing special, what is special is making the hybrid engine.Lots of older european cars are more aerodynamic than US boxes (except Volvo )But both were based on the same projects launched in the end of 70s. I do not mean the Tundra, but the old pickups like Hilux that you see everywhere across the world... And if by "lasting" you mean keep the same name, that's not really an innovation Ford Focus is not a US car, it is a car made by Ford Europe (even if Ford is a US company, the car was made in Europe by the european Ford division... -- Last edit: 2006-05-11 10:00:16 |
2006-05-11 09:59 |
| antp | And by the way the question is not if US cars changed more things than European/Japanese cars, but if it is more important to intoduce the ABS (Mercedes ? Ford Scorpio ?) or create the fastest pickup or the first pickup mixed with a SUV and a pinto. | 2006-05-11 10:14 |
| antp | And about seatbelt, we were discuting about three-point seatbelt, which is a big improvement in safety over the regular two-point seatbelt. And it is not the only point on which Volvo did things |
2006-05-11 10:22 |
| Alexander | Before some heavily biased comments turn into nationalistic talk let me ask you to look at the history of the automobile. The first design of an automobile: 1490 by Leonardo da Vinci (Italy) -- two years before America was (again) discovered. The first engine driven automobile: 1678 by Ferdinand Verbiest (Belgium) -- driven at the Chinese Imperial Court. ... Followed by lots of inventioned which led to the cars by Benz and Daimler, the two that are usually named as the 'car inventors'. In my oppinion a popular scientific definition. In above comment the 'invention' of the hybrid car was mentioned. The first petrol-electric driven car, front wheel drive and later all wheel drive, was invented and built by Ferdinand Porsche at the Austrian Lohner factory. Year: 1900. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Lohner_Porsche.jpg The front wheel drive itself is two years older, invented by Gräf & Stift. To be precise it was actually first used by Nicolas Joseph Cugnot for his steam car in 1768. Link to "upload.wikimedia.org" Another comment above was about the aerodynamic cars. Have a look at the Tropfenwagen built by Edmund Rumpler in 1921. It has a drag coefficient of 0.28, better than most cars you can buy today! http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/de/0/00/Rumpler_Tropfenwagen.jpg Have also a look at Paul Jaray and Wunibald Kamm. First cars with volume production came from Tatra, Hanomag, Volkswagen and others, all before the second World War. There are many other examples I could name. Usually the inventors are less well known as those who manage to use the invention for mass production. I am not going to list them all (would fill a book), but ask you to have a look yourself at the inventor of the seatbelt, crash-zone, windscreen wiper, electric light, safety glass, pneumatic tyres, hydraulic brakes, gearbox, etc. A last invention I would like to mention is the catalytic converter. The principle was already known in antique times, first scientificly described by Jöns Jakob Berzelius, and first invented for a use in automobiles at the Trinity College (Connecticut, USA). |
2006-05-11 10:25 |
Hecubus  | But the '83 Thunderbird was Ford's first real step towards aerodynamics, and was still rather common. And the Taurus is undeniably influenced by the Audi 5000 (perhaps more of a luxury car in North America, but fairly common in Europe, isn't it?). Besides, long, long before the Taurus came out (even before Jack Telnack, the Taurus's designer was born), Chrysler had the Airflow (one of the more common examples). Either way, I don't think that America has really contributed that much towards the evolution of the automobile. There's been the Model T, the Jeep, and maybe the GM EV-1. Other than that, the American automotive industry has been more motivated by profits than innovation. |
2006-05-11 10:46 |
| Alexander | Yes, very common. It is the C3 model of the Audi 100 and has a faily good drag coefficient of 0.30, same as the Saab 92 of 1947. |
2006-05-11 11:18 |
| wickey | yes definitely - first ABS in Mercedes S-Klasse in about 1974 (I do not remember the exact year) and also airbags (front) were in S-Klasse first. Side airbags in Volvo 850 in 1992 - 1. in the world. |
2006-05-11 13:19 |
| wickey | ad aerodynamics: what about Tatra 77? Introduced in 1934 in Paris.![[Image: t77a_24.jpg]](http://www.tatraportal.sk/popisky/t77/a/t77a_24.jpg "http://www.tatraportal.sk/popisky/t77/a/t77a_24.jpg") with 8-cylinder engine of only 45 kW it reaches top-speed 140 km/h - and couple of big american companys + Rolls-Royce had a test drive on the road, because they did not believed, it can reach the speed with only 45 kW It did of course - that showed how aerodynamics affects speed + handling on the roads. and BTW this car makes Tatra officialy the first company which produces aerodynamic cars. - it has drag coeficient 0,212 (better than most modern cars) also Adolf Hitler visited the company couple of times and talks with Hans Ledwinka (top-constucter) and after that said to Ferdinand Porsche: "This is the car for my roads." -- Last edit: 2006-05-11 13:46:31 |
2006-05-11 13:25 |
Sunbar  | The idea of this TV programme seems to have caused a lot of discussion but in my view is poorly conceived. I doubt there can be anywhere near twenty cars that have "Changed the World". Cars in general have certainly radically changed the world by giving those in the 'developed world' personal freedom to travel when are where we like. But to single-out individual cars that have had a big impact globally is very difficult. Cars themselves have progressed on very evolutionary engineering principles. Todays cars are very much the development and refinement of the earliest late 19th and early 20th century designs. For every 'first' innovation someone can identify a precedent, thats the way engineering works. Cars that changed the (motoring) world in my view comes down to just a few. Model T Ford. For mass-production of affordable cars. Not a 'Ford' invention as some suppose but this was where it showed what could be done. Cadillac in about 1912 I think. 'Boss' Kettering invented the starter motor that made motoring far more driver-friendly rather than having to hand-crank before driving. BMC Mini in 1958. The transverse-engine front wheel drive revolution going completely against the front-engine rear wheel drive trend. Yes, I know others had done it before but this was when it really took-off. Chevrolet Corvair of the mid-1960s. Without its negative publicity effects safety legislation may never have started. Toyota - today. For being the first 'world car' manufacturer. GM and Ford have tried it but never really succeeded. Toyota look like achieving it. -- Last edit: 2006-05-11 14:10:02 |
2006-05-11 14:06 |
BeanBandit  | Here's one car, which truly changed the world, the 1914 Austro-Daimler 28/36PS. http://wedel1.tripod.com/images/Austria/car.jpg -- Last edit: 2006-05-11 19:50:35 |
2006-05-11 14:31 |
| jplemoine | BeanBandit, impossible to look at your Daimler with this link... Sarajevo, 1914? | 2006-05-11 16:32 |
| antp | copy/paste the link |
2006-05-11 16:53 |
| jplemoine | White picture... without any car! | 2006-05-11 17:03 |
| antp | ![[Image: car7em.5509.jpg]](http://pics.imcdb.org/0is87/car7em.5509.jpg) |
2006-05-11 17:17 |
| Explorer4X4 | First of all, the only reason I made a list of cars that were innovative or trend setters (After the Jeep CJ-7, look whats happened! The Toyota FJ Cruiser, HUMMER brand cars and Land Rovers are all Willys-Overland/Jeep based). The list I made was NOT of cars that, "changed the world", but of innovative, trend setters or record setters. I made it because Wrenchhead said: "With my experience, American auto makers are generally not that innovative." And, American automakers are just as innovative as European, French or any other country's automobile makers. Sometimes even more... |
2006-05-11 19:19 |
Advertising
