It Started With Cugnot's Fardier
To begin talking about our forefatherssearch for a mode of transport to replace the horsewould necessitate traveling back in time over 300 years.Inventions (or what perhaps could be better describedas contraptions) utilizing wind power and even elaborateclockwork gearing were all tried, up to the advent ofsteam power.
The oldest surviving self-propelled vehicle,Cugnot's 1770 “Fardier” owes its preservationto the fact that on its trial runs it ran amok and knockeddown a wall! Put into store, it survived the FrenchRevolution, was acquired by the Conservatoire des Artset Métiers in Paris in 1799, and has been a majorexhibit there ever since.
It was followed by a number of even less practicaldesigns from optimistic French, English and Americanengineers, and it was not until 1801 that the firstsuccessful road carriage appeared. The brainchild ofCornish mining engineer Richard Trevithick, the roadcarriage would in-turn lead to the development of hisLondon Carriage of 1803, which made a number of successfulruns before being dismantled to power a hoop rollingmill.
Trevithick lost faith in the practicability ofhis own inventions, and although they came very closenone were perfected. Other inventors of the day couldsee his vision, and so began developing a range of supposed“vehicles”, although they were all ill-foundedand better suited to science fiction.The ideas ranged from machines driven by articulatedlegs, tiny railway engines running inside a drum likesquirrels, the use of compressed air and, alarmingly,gunpowder!
The Advent Of The Steam Engine
Then, between 1820 and 1840, came a goldenage of steam, with skilled engineers devising and operatingsteam carriages of advanced and ingenious design; menlike Gurney, Hancock and Macerone all produced designswhich were practicable, capable of achieving quite lengthyjourneys and operating with a relatively high degreeof reliability.
Walter Hancock, a better mechanic than businessman,operated his steam coaches on regular scheduled servicesin London in the 1830s, but his finances were quicklydepleted by unscrupulous associates. Hancock eventuallycalled it a day after 12 years of experimentation hadbrought him little more than unpaid debts with the associatedhostility of his creditors.
And as you would expect, the politicians of the daydisplayed a total lack of vision. Many were convincedthat the “Steam Carriage” would prove athreat to the thousands whose livelihood depended onthe horse, and so they implemented tolls on the turnpikeroads.
An 1831 Parliamentary Commission, though largelyfavorable to the steam carriage, failed to prevent theintroduction of the road tolls – thus deliveringa near fatal blow to the builders of steam carriages.It would be a few years later, with the advent of therailway age, that would finally put to rest the “SteamCarriage” industry.
Railway engines had the advantage of running on smooth,level rails, while the Steam Carriages were forced touse uneven, badly maintained roads. The Railway wasbig business, providing huge profits and returns forthe railway owners. As you can imagine, big businesshad the ear of the local politicians of the day.
Theywere quick to point out that the Railways major competitor,the Steam Carriage, could be considered unsafe giventhey were using “public” roads filled withhalf-witted pedestrians, and so in 1863 legislationwas passed requiring every Steam Carriage to have aman with a red flag must walk ahead. It was only thedevelopment of the bicycle in the 1860s which wouldallow the hapless public to again tour by road.
The Internal Combustion Engine
While the
internal combustion engine appeared earlyon in the history of the motor vehicle, it would takeover three-quarters of a century for it to be perfectedto the level where it could be used in a vehicle capableof running on the roads. The 1805 powered cart of theSwiss Isaac de Rivaz was little more than an elaboratetoy, capable of crawling from one side of a room toanother, while the 1863 car built in Paris by JJ. EtienneLenoir took three hours to cover six miles. It was notuntil the mid-1880s that the first successful petrolcars appeared, developed independently by two Germanengineers, Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz.
It was Karl Benz’s vehicle that was incontestablysuperior. While Daimler had “adapted” ahorse drawn vehicle, Benz had designed a vehicle fromthe ground up, utilizing new technologies from the cycleindustry for his inspiration. The three-wheeled vehiclethat Benz developed would go into limited production– it being described in his catalogue as “anagreeable vehicle, as well as a mountain-climbing apparatus”.By 1888 Daimler had decided to concentrate on sellinghis engines as a universal power source, but interestinglyneither would find immediate success.
The Steam Engine's Last Gasp
Instead the Steam Carriage made a final comeback, particularlywith some of the advanced designs of the Boll familyof Le Mans. These carriages, built between 1873 andthe mid-1880’s, were to pioneer such advancementsas independent front suspension. Meanwhile one LéonSerpollet , a blacksmith's son, conceived a 'flash boiler'capable of the instantaneous generation of steam.
Serpolletwould soon be the proud bearer of the very first drivinglicence to be issued in Paris. And while the Comte DeDion and his engineers Bouton and Trépardouxbuilt some excellent steam vehicles during the 1880’sand early 1890’s, they were to achieve their greatestfame as manufacturers of light petrol vehicles, from1895 onward.
Cugnot's 1770 “Fardier”survives to this day because it crashed on itstrial run...
The Bollée Mancelle SteamCarriage of 1873 would require a man to leadit waving a red flag should it contemplate usingLondon roads...
This 1895 Tri-Car used a Leylandsteam lawnmower engine, and its mid-mountedlocation had absolutely nothing to do with improvinghandling...
In the early 1900's the mostfamous of the "Gas Buggies” was theCurved-Dash Oldsmobile...
Arguably Ford's greatest achievementwas to introduce the 1908 Model T, a car thatwould became so popular that he was forced tointroduce the car industry's first moving productionline...
The Twin Cylinder Renault AXhelped ferry troops to the battle of Marne andsave Paris in 1914 at the hight of World War1...
Hispano-Suiza put their aeroengine expertise to full account in the 191932CV of 6.6 litres, a splendid automobile featuringservo-assisted four-wheel brakes and delightful handling characteristics...
After the war it would take until1922 for the motor industry to get back on coursewith a second generation of post-war popularcars - most notable was the Austin Seven...
During the 1920's features wereintroduced to make motoring more comfortableand safer. Windscreen wipers, electric starters,low-pressure tyres and, first standardized onthe 1928 Model A Ford, safety glass...
The Delaunay-Belleville may havebeen the very best of French cars and and favouritemarque of the Tsar of Russia, but that wasn'tenough to save it during the 1920's...
During the 1930-35 period streamliningbecame the vogue, as evidenced in such classicsas the Chrysler Airflow...
Though most cars still retainedrunning boards, lower door edges gave a lower,more bulbous look, accentuated by the adoptionof wings with side panels, often blended intothe radiator and bonnet, as seen here on withthe Singer Airstream...
Volkswagen went from strengthto strength after WWII, despite opinions fromBritish experts - and from Henry Ford II - thatthe VW was too noisy and uncomfortable to becompetitive...
Companies like Crosley stoodlittle chance against the "Big Three"during the 1950's... |
The 1889 Paris World Exhibition
The biggest turning point for the automobile, and the
internal combustion engine, was arguably the 1889 ParisWorld Exhibition. It was at this exhibition that Frenchengineers Panhard and Levassor saw the Daimler 'Steelwheeler'car powered by the Daimler vee-twin engine. Levassor'slady friend, an astute widow named Louise Sarazin, heldthe French rights to the Daimler engine in successionto her late husband, and Panhard and Levassor beganmanufacturing these power units in 1890.
They could,however, see no future for the motor car, and so grantedthe right to use Daimler engines in self-propelled vehiclesto Peugeot (then an ironmongery and cycle firm) who,as luck would have it, had just made the decision notto proceed with the production of the “SerpolletSteamers”.
Around the same time, and also in France, Emile Rogermanaged to sell a handful of Benz cars. Ironically Rogerwould garage his first Benz in Panhard and Levassor'sworkshop. But things were about to change, particularlywith Benz’s first four-wheeler, the 1893 Viktoria.Peugeot were already established as motor manufacturersby that date, for in 1891 they had actually sold 5 cars,boosting production to a dizzy 29 the following year.
The success of the Peugeot cars forced Panhard and Levassorto reconsider their early opinion of the horseless carriage,and, after building a couple of crude dogcarts withthe engine at the rear, Levassor devised the famousSystéme Panhard, with the engine at the frontdriving the rear wheels via a sliding pinion gearboxinspired by the mechanism of a lathe, a layout whichendures on to this day.
Development in America
In America, the motor car was evolving quite independentlyof the goings on in Europe. During the first part of1891 a petrol powered friction-driven three-wheelerbuilt by John W. Lambert of Ohio City made its firsttentative runs. In 1895, America's first motor manufacturingcompany was founded by the Duryea brothers, Charlesand Frank (whose
prototype dated from 1893); the followingyear they exported a couple of vehicles to Britain.
Perhaps the railroads of the day considered the emergingautomobile technologies as impinging upon their turf,or a general population lacking in vision, for whateverthe reason there was little interest in the new motorvehicles (be they home-grown or imported), althoughthe so-called “father of the British motor industry”,H. J. Lawson, succeeded in parting a good many credulousinvestors from large sums of money.
Lawson knew that, for the automobile to become successful,the ridiculous legislation requiring a red flag waverto walk in front of any vehicle would have to be repealed.Fortunately for Lawson he had friends in high places,and on November 14 1896 he organized a commemorativerun to Brighton to celebrate the raising of the speedlimit to 12 mph.
Ironically many of the participatingautomobiles would travel much of the distance by train,while the first car home, a Duryea, was not one of themarques under Lawson's control, he having purchasedat great expense most of the motor car patents in anill-founded attempt to monopolize the British car industry.
Demand for motor cars continue to grow steadily duringthe latter part of the 1890s, and by now the Benz hadbecome the world's most popular car, with the 2000thproduction vehicle being delivered in 1899. Motoringwas still the sport of a few rich eccentrics, however,and many people, particularly those in country areas,were yet to even see a car!
The 1000 Miles Trial
In an effort to “showcase” the new technologyto the masses, the Automobile Club of Great Britainand Ireland held its famous 1000 Miles Trial, takingin most of the major cities of England and Scotland.A total of 65 cars, many English Daimler and MMC modelsbuilt by Lawson's empire, set out from Hyde Park Corner,London, in April; the majority finishing the run withoutmajor mishap, proving that the car had at last becomea reliable mode of transportation and offered a clearalternative to horse and buggy.
The Turn of the Century was ushered in by 'the carof the day after tomorrow', the Mercedes, designed byDaimler's engineer, Wilhelm Maybach. The contract toproduce the first batch of 30 cars had been signed withina month of Gottlieb Daimler's death in March 1900.
Theyhad been ordered by the wealthy Austro-Hungarian Consulat Nice, Emil Jellinek, who insisted that they be christened after his daughter Mercedes, a name which found suchfavour with the wealthy car-buying public that all GermanDaimler cars were soon known by that name.
The advanced design of the Mercedes, which combinedin one harmonious whole elements such as the honeycombradiator, pressed steel chassis and gear-lever movingin a gate rather than a quadrant, 'set the fashion tothe world' and soon many high-priced cars were copyingits layout; even comparatively small cars like the Peugeotwere built on Mercedes lines.
These cars did not, however, represent the popularmotoring of the early 1900s; this was the province ofsingle-cylinder runabouts like the De Dion and the Renault.In the US the designers favoured the light, but considerablymore temperamental, steam cars such as the Locomobile;these were soon followed by “Gas Buggies”,of which the most famous was the Curved-Dash Oldsmobile.
Ford vs The Association of Licenced Automobile Manufacturers
That the US automobile industry was taking some timeto advance can be found in the monopolistic attitudeof the time. A patent lawyer named George Baldwin Seldenhad drawn up a 'master patent' for the motor vehiclein 1879, published it in 1895 and claimed that all gasoline-drivenvehicles were infringements of that patent. His claimswere eventually given commercial teeth by the Associationof Licenced Automobile Manufacturers, established toadminister the Selden Patent in 1902, to which mostmajor American car firms were persuaded to belong.
It was Henry Ford, who had founded his Ford Motor Companyin June 1903, that decided to take the fight up to Seldenand the ALAM. Proceedings were initiated in 1904 and,after lengthy litigation, the ALAM built a car to Selden's1879 design while Ford built a car with an engine basedon that of the 1863 Lenoir. Ford won the day in 1911- not long before the Selden Patent would have expiredanyway - but the victory established him as a folk hero.
The Model T
Ford's great achievement, after five years' work, wasto introduce in October 1908 the immortal Model T, whichbecame so popular that he was forced to introduce thecar industry's first moving production line in orderto build enough cars to satisfy demand. His 'UniversalCar' changed the face of. motoring; over 16.5 millionwere built before production ended in 1927, truly 'puttingthe world on wheels.
Though the Edwardian era saw motoring become more popular,on the other hand it also saw the finest and most elegantcars of all time, built to a standard of craftsmanshipwhich could never be repeated. After World War One,many of the great marques faded away in a genteel decline:Delaunay-Belleville, 'the Car Magnificent', the favouritemarque of the Tsar of Russia and one of the very bestof the French cars of the pre-1914 era, became justa petit bourgeois in the 1920s.
Napier, the British company which popularized the six-cylinderengine, enjoyed perhaps even greater acclaim than itsrival, Rolls-Royce, while its sales were controlledby the overly pompous Selwyn Francis Edge; when Napiergave him a £160,000 “Golden Handshake”after a dispute over policy in 1912, however, the company'sfortunes seemed to leave with him. Edge, having agreedto leave the motor industry for seven years, becamea successful Sussex pig farmer; Napier built very fewcars after the war, concentrating instead on its aeroengines.
The Growth In Popularity Of The Cycle Car
The European car industry was under considerable economicpressure from that in the US. The latter was manufacturingautomobiles using predominantly unskilled labour ontheir new production lines, while the former reliedheavily on a pool of highly skilled, lowly paid craftsmen,all of whom were expected to take pride in their workand consider the automobile a piece of craftsmanshiprather than an object of mass production.
Inevitablyit was the big luxury cars that stood little chance– for they represented only a tiny fraction ofthe potential market for the motor vehicle and, evenif their production had not been decimated by the dryingup of the car market as a result of the war, they wouldinevitably have died out as a result of the social changesin the post-war world.
Europe, indeed, experienced an outburst popular motoringin the 1910-14 period which owed nothing to Americanconcepts of mass production; instead, it grew out ofthe motorcycle industry, whose engines, single-cylinderor Vee-Twin, offered lightness and power
Optimisticenthusiasts installed these engines in chassis of oftensuicidal crudeness, with cart-type centre-pivot
steering in many cases, as well as other un-mechanical devicessuch as wire cables coiled round the
steering columninstead of a conventional
steering box and drag link,belt and pulley transmission and tandem-seat layoutswith the driver in the second row.
These crude devices,known as cycle-cars, flourished predominantly in Englandand France; attempts to mimic their success in Americafailed because they were simply unsuited to the verydifferent motoring environment.
While the cycle-cars were short-lived, it was duringthis period that the future direction of the automobileindustry could be seen, in new “light” carssuch as the Morris Oxford, the Standard and the Hillman.
These cars were all built on the one principle, to affordlarge vehicle characteristics on a smaller scale, usingcheap, economical and easy to manufacture engines withcapacities around the 1000cc mark. These admirable machineswere to be the pattern for the popular family cars ofthe 1920s.
The Combustion Engine's Role In World War 1
During the first war it was the
internal combustionengine that afforded new mobility to the infantry who,before hostilities in Europe came to a standstill inthe trenches, could be rushed to reinforce weak pointsin the front line - most notably when the French GeneralGallieni sent 6000 reinforcements to repel Von Kluck'sattack on Paris in 1914.
Motorcycles were used to issuemilitary dispatches, while armoured cars and tanks wouldbecome an increasingly familiar sight on the front lines.But perhaps the biggest advance of the
internal combustionengine was in the air, aerial combat adding a new anddeadly dimension to modern day warfare.
Post War Boom, and Bust
In the post war period there was an automotive boomtime, especially in Britain and France. The establishedmanufacturers had little hope of meeting the new demand,and so a new cottage industry of companies manufacturinglight cars and cycle-cars from proprietary componentssoon developed. Most however were to only find commercialfailure.
If the European car industry had any chance againstthe US giants, the notion of mass-production neededto be embraced. André Citroén, a formergear manufacturer, decided to bring Ford-style mass-productionto France. We would enjoy an immediate success withhis 10bhp launched in 1919. However, the rise of Citroénspelt doom for the dozens of hand-assemblers who clusteredmost thickly in the north-western suburbs of Paris.
The boom collapsed in 1920-21, speeded on its way bystrikes, hold-ups, shortages, loss of stock market confidencein the car industry, restrictions on hire-purchase sales,costlier raw materials, and the introduction of a “horsepower”tax in Britain. Only the fittest survived: Ford, whose example wasfollowed by a number of American and European makers,cut prices in order to boost falling sales.
In Ford’scase, he was able to compensate for the loss on thecars by compelling every dealer to take $40 worth ofspare parts per car – the spare parts affordingno price reduction. Even the mighty Ford was, however,forced to close down for some months to clear unsoldstocks. It was not until 1922 that the motor industrywas back on course and a second generation of post-warpopular cars began to emerge, most notably the AustinSeven.
Many of the cars of the 1920’s profited fromthe technology of the aero engines developed duringthe war, cars such as the overhead camshaft Hispano-SuizaV8. Wolseley built this engine under licence and usedan overhead camshaft on their post-war cars, but itwas not until after the 1927 takeover by Morris thatthis Wolseley design realized its full potential, especiallyin MG sports cars.
The Automobile Matures
Hispano-Suiza put their aero engine expertise to fullaccount in the 1919 32CV of 6.6 litres, a splendid automobilefeaturing servo-assisted four-wheel
brakes and delightful
handling characteristics, whose overall conception wasseveral years ahead of any of its rivals. MeanwhileBentley, who had built rotary aero engines during thewar, brought out an in-line four with an overhead camshaftin 1919 (though it was not put into production until1921); this 3-litre was to form the basis of one ofthe worlds most immortal sporting cars.
Many leading manufacturers adopted the overhead camshaftlayout during this period, but Rolls-Royce, whose aeroengines had used this layout, stuck resolutely to side
valves on their cars until the advent of the 20 in 1922;this had a pushrod OHV configuration, although the SilverGhost would retain side
valves till the end.
Oddly enough, apart from honourable exceptions likethe Hispano, it was the cheaper cars which pioneeredthe use of
brakes on all four wheels, one of the mostpositive advances in car equipment in the early 1920s.Possibly it was felt that luxury cars would be handledby professional drivers, who would be less likely toindulge in the kind of reckless driving that would requirepowerful brakes! Moreover, some American popular carmakers, appalled at the cost of retooling their carsto accept
brakes on the front wheels, actually campaignedagainst their introduction on the grounds that theywere dangerous. Ralph Nader would have had a field day!
As the decade wore on, more features designed to makemotoring more comfortable and safer became commonplace-windscreenwipers, electric starters, safety glass (first standardizedon the 1928 Model A Ford), all-steel coachwork, saloonbodies, low-pressure tyres, cellulose paint and chromiumplating all became available on popular cars. Stylingand the annual model changes became an accepted partof the selling of motor cars, bringing with them hugetooling costs which could only be borne by the biggestcompanies. Many old-established firms were simply unableto keep up, being swept away by the onslaught of thedepression in 1929.
The Depression
Was it the depression that made people less inclinedto enjoy the concept of open-air motoring, or was itthe practicalities of fending off the elements. Whateverthe case, the switch from open-tourer to saloon bodieswas well under-way by 1931; by this time some 90% ofall cars being “Tin Tops”, a complete reversalon the number produced only 2 years earlier.
In a concession to the difficult economic times, manufacturerswere also forced to develop smaller engines, and inturn lighter car bodies and lower ratio gear boxes.As a result, the cars of the day were required to revhard to afford any pretence of performance, and naturallytheir bores wore alarmingly. The days when durabilitywas a feature taken for granted on all but the shoddiestof cars seemed long past.
The design of cars now began to change radically aswell. The demand for more capacious
bodywork on smallchassis led to the engine being pushed forward overthe front axle. The
radiator became a functional unitconcealed behind a decorative grille which became moreelaborate and exaggerated as the decade wore on.
During the 1930-35 period
streamlining became the vogue,as evidenced in such classics as the Chrysler Airflow,the Singer Airstream and the Fitzmaurice-bodied FordV8. Even on more staid cars, the angularity of linethat had characterized the models of the late 1920sgave way to more flowing contours. Though most carsstill retained running boards, the separate side valanceswere eliminated by bringing the lower door edges downto give a lower, more bulbous look, accentuated by theadoption of wings with side panels, often blended intothe
radiator and bonnet.
The swept tails of the new-style coachwork now concealeda usually well laid out luggage compartment, a featuresadly lacking on most 1920s models, which usually boasteda luggage grid and nothing more. By contrast with thecars of the 1920’s, those of the 1930’soffered considerably greater comfort and convenience.One problem, however, was that the stylist had takenover from the engineer and designer; thus little thoughtwas given to their
aerodynamics or road holding ability.While there was no going back to the old-fashioned designs,many wished they could!
New suspension systems, especially independent frontspringing, also brought their own
handling problems.In fact, some cars had to be fitted with bumpers incorporatinga harmonic damping device to prevent them from simplyshimmying right off the road on their super-soft springing.
But it wasn’t all doom and gloom, with some manufacturersproducing some excellent cars. Morris and Austin wouldcontinue to build soundly engineered small cars (thoughHerbert Austin was distinctly upset when his designersinsisted on moving the
radiator behind a dummy grille.Henry Ford was personally involved in the developmentof two new models, the 8hp Model 19Y and the V. Bothcars were released in 1932, and were instantly and deservedlysuccessful.
In France the famous
front wheel drive Citroénwould make its debut in 1934. Unfortunately the developmentcosts had all but bankrupted André Citroén,and he was forced to sell out to Michelin. Of the carswith more sporting pretentions, the SS marque were producingbeautiful looking, beautiful
handling and beautifullybuilt cars, and for a very reasonable price.
The same year that the SS Jaguar was launched (1936)Dr Ferdinand Porsche built the
prototype Volkswagens,the 'Strength through Joy' cars sponsored by the NaziParty and intended to be sold to the German public.Was the argument to bring cars to the German masses,or was it to prevent them purchasing foreign manufacturedcars? Whatever the reason, this most popular of designswould go on to sell over 20 million and establish itselfas the most popular car of all time (and we will notbe drawn into comparisons with the Toyota Corolla).Few Volkswagens, however, were built before the war(though the design was readily adapted for militarypurposes).
In many ways the 1930s were a watershed - they sawthe last of the big luxury cars from makers such asHispano-Suiza, Duesenberg and Minerva, as well as theend of many small, independent manufacturers and coachbuilders(victims of the swing to mass-produced cars with pressed-steelbodies). The motor industry had reached the point whereit had become vital to the economic well-being of themajor industrialized countries. Now it was to provejust as vital in providing weapons of war.
Europe Braces For War...Again
In Britain, five of the largest motor manufacturersset up “shadow factories” in the late 1930s- used in the production of aero-engine and parts inthe event of war. This foresight would see them manufacturingmany thousands of aero engines and complete aircraftduring the hostilities. Ford joined the fold soon afterthe outbreak of war, building Rolls-Royce Merlin engineson a moving production line in Manchester, while inthe USA Ford mass production expertise was given itsgreatest test in manufacturing Liberator bombers ona gigantic production line at Willow Run, Michigan.
From the ubiquitous Jeep, through staff cars, trucks,tanks and powerboats to the biggest bomber aircraft,the motor industry played a crucial role in World WarTwo. Re-adapting to peacetime production was, however' to prove almost as big a test of the industry's abilities.After the war there was a huge materials shortage –but despite significant government interference mostcar manufacturers were soon to return to production.The first examples to roll off the production lineswere inevitably only slightly modernized pre-war models,although some manufacturers such as Armstrong-Siddeleywere able to immediately manufacture all-new models.
Despite shortages of fuel and tyres, there was a vastdemand in Europe for cars. Despite a huge shortage inBritain, the government mandated that manufacturersexport half their output – you could be forgivenfor thinking the best way to win a war is to loose itfirst, Speculators (scalpers) soon entered the fray,buying new cars and selling them at an inflated profit– soon purchasers were forced to sign a 'covenant'guaranteeing that they would not resell for initiallyone year, this later being extended to two years.
There was much talk of technical developments arisingfrom wartime projects, but devices such as automatictransmission were only generally adopted in America,and reports that hydraulic suspension, or springingby rubber or torsion bars, were about to be adoptedon British cars proved to be more than a little premature.Indeed, some makers seemed unready to come to termswith the future, as one report noted: 'Since wind resistanceis an important factor in brake performance,
streamlining may lead to braking difficulties, as was shown in experimentscarried out in France'.
European manufacturers faced the daunting task of havingto rebuilding their often totally destroyed manufacturingplants. The French automotive industry had sustainedthe biggest loss of machine tools and equipment, mostbeing shipped to Germany under the occupation. The Germanindustries had sustained considerable bomb damage, andhaving the country divided into two entities posed evenbigger problems.
The Reichsmark was replaced by the Deutschmark, creatingan effective devaluation of around 100%. Nevertheless,the country's most prolific manufacturer, Volkswagen,continued to make progress despite opinions from Britishexperts - and from Henry Ford II - that the VW was toonoisy and uncomfortable to be competitive. And thoughthe BMW factory had ended up in the Russian Zone, thefirst-and only- 'War Reparation' design to come outof Germany became the BMW-based Bristol 400.
A shortage of sheet steel and
tyres also helped tokeep production to about a sixth of the 1938 level in1946-48, though some recovery was apparent by 1949 whenthe first post-war car show was held in Paris –by this time production had risen to about four timesthe 1938 monthly level.
The 1950's, A Period Of Turmoil
By the time of the 1950’s the motor industrywas entering a period of traumatic change. Those braveattempts by independent companies like Kaiser and Crosleyto carve a foothold in the American market against thecorporate giants of the Big Three (Ford, GM and Chrysler)were to quickly amount to nothing. Old and well establishedindependents like Packard, Nash and Studebaker werein decline and would soon vanish, either by attritionor by merger. The American car industry had become stereotyped,offering up to the public a diet of overly large, poorroad holding behemoths being driven by large 6 cylinderor even larger V8 engines.
The 50’s ushered in the era of the exaggeratedtailfin and the grinning chrome grille, and the 'performancecar' capable of superlative top speeds, but being unsafearound any corner. Small “compact” carswere developed in 1959, of particular importance toAustralians was the Ford Falcon and Chrysler Valiant– both becoming a staple of the Australian familyalongside the GM Holden. Then there was the unorthodoxrear-engined Chevrolet Corvair, bringing Ralph Nadernotoriety with his best selling book “Unsafe atany Speed”.
Mergers and amalgamations were not only confined tothe US. In Britain, Austin and Morris would join, butthis was never a happy association. Commentators predicteda decline in the British automotive industry –and they were uncharacteristically correct. BMC (BritishMotor Corporation), British Leyland and others, allproducing small family cars, were unable to crystalball their own demise at the hands of union troubleand the emergence of the Japanese as an automotive powerhouse.
The Importance Of Fuel Efficient Cars
Fuel economy became even more significant after the1956 Suez War, when petrol was rationed in many countries,and the event created a new breed of cycle-cars, whichtoday we refer to as “Bubble Cars”, suchas the Heinkel, Messerschmitt and Goggomobil. The “Bubble Cars” may have been “cute”,but they were primitive devices and not well liked atthe time.
Their saving grace was their fuel economy– should someone design a comfortable AND economicalcar they would be doomed. That person was Alec Issigonis– and his design - the 1959 Mini Minor. Now “Cheapand Cheerful” could also mean decent engineering,comfort and handling. The Mini’s layout of front-wheeldrive and transverse engine was to set the pattern forthe coming 20 years and more.
But the 1950s had their glamour cars, too: Britainproduced the big Healeys, the Triumph TRs and the firstMG to abandon the per perpendicular lines of the 1930s,the slippery profiled MGA, even available with a temperamentaltwin-cam engine; Italy built big, powerful sports carslike the Ferrari America and Super America; France,which had taxed the Grand' Routiers like Delahaye outof existence, introduced the avant-garde Citroen DS;and Germany, free of any war repatriation responsibility,were to release the distinctive
Mercedes 300SL Coupe – one of the most highly sought after sports carsto this day.
