THE CHANGING ARCHITECTURE OF THE AUTOMOBILE BODY

I have the vehicle and the wheels upon which it rides throughout the history of the automobile the space allowed it to these components has changed to accommodate shifts and buyer needs and desires but where did it all start we know that a steam-powered vehicle was developed in France as early as 1769 and steam-powered rode locomotives became a reality in England around 1800 at about the same time Americans had fallen in love with the bicycle there were all kinds from bicycles built for to or built for 10 to velocipedes with front wheels that went up to 5 feet in diameter it was the bicycle that gave most Americans the desire to travel about easily and set the stage for the automobile it's not surprising then that many of the early auto manufacturers were people from the bicycle industry the first commercially available automobile was manufactured by Karl Benz and his brother in Germany in 1885 in America a man named Duryea demonstrated his car in 1893 and the following year he sold three of them Henry Ford's famous quadricycle obviously a relative of the bicycle was built in 1896 and in that same year ransom olds introduced his first gasoline-powered automobile contrary to popular belief neither old nor Ford were first with mass production Duryea produced 13 at Zdenek lotta mobiles and springfield massachusetts in 1896 looking back it's difficult to see why the early automobiles created so much excitement the first cars were merely platforms with four wheels a seat a steering device and an engine as it developed some obvious things had to be done right away engines were covered to keep out inquisitive fingers and cut down on noise and fumes lights were added to aid in night driving this was the basic arrangement of the curve - holes of 1901 the automobile that established Detroit as the automotive center of the u.s. a fire in the Oldsmobile Motor Works destroyed everything but one car a curve - holes in order to stay in business drawings were made directly from the one remaining car and various parts were subcontracted in Detroit most of these subcontractors eventually became automobile manufacturers about 1904 the first windscreens appeared and most of the automobile bodies of this era had what was called roy de belles coach work taken from a vehicle built to the specifications of the king of belgium this general body designs sometimes called a tonneau with two seats in front and three at the rear was retained by the industry for almost 15 years the influence to the back seat was from the rear of the car originally most accessories were outside the passenger compartment under the floor or fastened to the back even the brakes and gears shift were outside at first as well as appropriate boxes for tools or picnic lunches it said that in those days even the mother-in-law rode outside the car whether or not this is true many of the cars sported small seats at the rear called mother-in-law seats it would be some years before the top windshield doors and basic body would gradually grow together into one piece but all the pieces necessary for an enclosed automobile were already well developed by 1909 there were 290 different mix of automobiles produced at 145 cities in 45 states talk about competition Detroit alone had 25 different car makes and a total of 45 makes were produced in Michigan options such as tops windshields and lamps became standard equipment speedometers shock absorbers and sliding transmissions all added to the weight and size of the automobile which in turn required bigger engines Cadillac introduced an electric starter developed by Charles F Kettering along with a generator battery lighting system electric starter made it practical for the first time for a woman to own and drive an automobile during the period before the first world war the basic configuration of the automobile was still somewhat uncertain and many strange and marvelous variations were attempted the inventor of the Reeves octonal felt that eight wheels were better than four others experimented with size in the 1911 olds limited with forty three inch wheels the largest production car ever built in the US to the Woods mobile let some tried steam gasoline and electricity and at times even combine them as in this woods gas electric this 1915 Saxon illustrates the trend to light cars in this period another car the gadabout roadster offered a wicker body and the National had an original seating arrangement for armchairs that could be moved on casters in any direction about the time of the first world war most automobiles started to settle down the general mechanical configuration we know in America today designers borrowed from the armored cars and other military vehicles that were produced at the time straight lines higher hoods and steel wheels gave many of the new models a warlike appearance following a short sharp depression in 1920 things got better and better until they reached a climax in the giddy and glamorous days just before the stock market crash of 1929 the Essex was one of the first new low price closed cars introduced in the 20s and the Overland offered a unique body style three doors another closed car the 1921 Ford sedan featured a single door on each side driver and passenger who enter either the front or back seats from the center door as the economy improved luxury cars began to appear in greater numbers Duesenberg brought out the first straight-8 and the first four-wheel hydraulic brakes in the US the Stutz Bearcat was the playboys car and one that attracted crowds then even as net the General Motors proving ground in Milford Michigan was completed in 1924 not one electric or steam car was displayed at the National Automobile Show table attractions were cars featuring four-wheel brakes and balloon tires as standard equipment at this time there was one automobile for every seven people in the US for the increased number of cars came real personal freedom of movement and the much talked-about love affair with the motorcar the 25 million u.s. motor vehicle was produced in 1925 the new models featured one-piece windshields mohair upholstery and crank type window lips synthetic quick drying paints that could be sprayed on and baked gave the industry a wide range of high gloss finishes for the first time more closed than open models were sold General Motors introduced the LaSalle in 1927 it was the first mass-produced car to be styled by a professional designers directly employed by the manufacturer at the other end of the price range Henry Ford brought out his Model A a dramatic change for Ford automobiles during this decade the body became a solid enclosure as windshields roof and doors grew together to make the cars more sturdy and more reliable up to this time automobiles used very straightforward bodywork but gradually the corners started to round off and compound curves started to appear on fenders and rear corners of the roof from the headlight this normal evolution plus the chromatic luxury tires coming into existence created a consumer demand for automotive stylist more than ever before the car Express status power fun glamour and freedom the late 20s and early 30s was the era of the flapper the Newport mansions yachts Thompson trophy races movie stars and classic cars the l-29 cord was introduced in 1929 this front-wheel drive car indicated a new willingness on the part of the manufacturer to tempt the public with new features and new concepts Duesenberg shot the automotive world by offering a car with fantastic performance ranging from 265 horsepower in the J model to 320 horsepower in the SJ series this car had about the same impact that would result from the introduction of a car today with almost a thousand horsepower Cadillacs introduction of a B 16 in 1930 announced the era of multiple cylinder engines in this country the 1930 Packard Custom Phaeton the 1932 KB Lincoln with its b-12 engine after 1933 Chrysler Imperial LeBaron one of the last Chrysler's with a solid front axle are some of the classics of this period in Europe designers were building some memories of their own the Bugatti Royale is one of the most famous classics even though less than 10 were sold this hispano-suiza was built to be driven in the 1924 take a floral race the body is made of tulip wood and defenders were added and for the race the supercharged Mercedes SS K and the 1931 rolls-royce phantom 2 convertible sedan standing examples of some of the European cars of this vintage the luxury car consumer of the 30s placed more emphasis on performance and overall magnificence than ever before the pressure of consumer demands spurred the stylist and engineer to further developments in automotive design the hypoid rear axle was one of the first moves in lowering the silhouette of the automobile by offsetting the driveshaft below the axle knee action or independent front wheel suspension was introduced in 1934 this created a drastic change in the proportions of the automobile without the beam axle the engine could move forward and eventually down between the front wheels other changes affected the interior compartment world in 1931 the Rio Royale started the popular trend two slanted windshields and in 1936 side windows that sloped in at the top were first seen in the years between 1935 and 1939 it was discovered that the automobile stylist could drastically change the exterior shape of the American production automobile the styling of the 810 812 chord with its front wheel drive brought this to the public's attention the 1936 Lincoln Zephyr with its pointed grill and fastback roofline and the 1938 Cadillacs 60 special which eliminated running boards and introduced the use of lightweight convertible window frames were the forerunners of a remarkable acceleration the appearance characteristics of the automobile over the years styling and aerodynamics gradually moved the body shell outwards in the process the trunk became part of the body show and the spare tire moved inside the headlights flared out then the Saab into the fender the hood sheetmetal moved out over the radiator and the fenders along and gradually became part of the body side over the span of time every major component of the automobile moved inside the body in 1938 Pontiac moved the gear shift from the floor up onto the steering column to help provide more front foot room and automatic transmissions were offered by Oldsmobile and Buick for the first time during the war years we really can't point out too much of a change in automobiles however the Jeep became a legend while most of the manufacturers turned to products other than automobiles following the war most consumers eagerly awaited the post-war car Studebaker was first to bring out a new model and in 1946 Kaiser Fraser introduced the first car with straight-through body sides which eliminated fender forms the most sensational post-war announcement was the Tucker and although the car never became a reality the public's appetite for new cars was obvious the 1948 Hudson offered a new step-down design which put the passengers not only down between the wheels but down between the frame members as well this basic arrangement exists in most of today's automobiles by 1949 every major manufacturer had eliminated most of the fender forms and had some version of the so called flush side styling with the introduction of the 4-door hardtop GM eliminated the center pillar in the side windows and gave the consumer an automobile with the feeling of a convertible and the safety of all steel roof wartime scarcities created a tremendous desire for new cars and new features an era of challenge and response was begun the customers let the producers know what they wanted by posting sales records for vehicles and options they liked the manufacturers responded by competing for customer attention many of the sales records set in the mid 50s still stand today the wraparound windshield was one of the features that helped set off a consumer demand for automobiles unequaled in automotive history the 1960s assured in an era that saw a trend to small cars a greater emphasis on automotive safety and increased concern for the environment the continuing movement of people to the suburbs and the increase in personal income resulted in the growth of two car families the preference of many consumers for simple or economical transportation spurred the sales of small imports until they reached a total of almost 1 million in 1968 US manufacturers responded by introducing compacts of their own and automotive engineers and designers had to find new ways to create more room inside the cost in 1962 Buick moved the engine and transmission forward to reduce the hump on the floor and the tempest transaxle moved the transmission to the rear of the car curved glass made it possible to create thinner doors and increase shoulder room safety features added to cars during this decade included dual braking systems factory installed seatbelts amber lights for front turn signals and energy-absorbing steering columns in 1963 positive crankcase ventilating systems were installed nationwide on all cars and light trucks and several years later exhaust emission control systems became standard equipment on all 1967 makes 1970 found US automakers in a global automotive battle as Japanese manufacturers were challenging the older makers in Europe and the u.s. to us sub compacts were introduced 1 the Vega featured an innovative four-cylinder aluminum engine front disc brakes electric fuel pump for the first time since model-t days more four-cylinder new cars were sold than ones with six-cylinder engines emission control requirements caused a general lowering of horsepower in 1971 models and much of the auto industry's research and development effort was devoted to meeting government regulations in safety and emission control areas one of the casualties of the early 70s was the high performance or muscle car reflecting a high insurance rates placed on it a consumer trend the less expensive cars and the clean air crusade a decline in the sale of convertibles was offset by a growing popularity of the sunroof option and all makes offered a sliding roof in either a manually or power operated version side beams were installed in all cars to aid in side impact collisions and in 1973 manufacturers added bumpers that would withstand a 5 mile an hour barrier crash in front and a two and a half mile per hour crash in the rear in the years to come the architecture of the automobile may see some radical changes worldwide increases in the use of energy will continue to make fuel efficiency and the conservation of all our natural resources a primary consideration in car design engineers and designers are finding answers in many directions weight reduction programs will accelerate the development and use of lighter weight materials such as aluminum and plastics and high strength low alloy Steel's may replace the conventional Steel's used in automobiles for years new types of seating may be developed and possibly new seating arrangements computers and structural analysis systems will play an important role in helping design or efficient vehicles electronics and the techniques of miniaturization developed in the space program may well reduce the size of electrical components and monitor and control such functions as air fuel ratio and spark advance these are just some of the approaches being used today to provide the efficient safe comfortable personal transportation the automotive pioneers could only dream of the search for better automotive architecture will always exist and the consumer will continue to present new challenges to the designer and engineer today's automobiles are more indicative of the people and times which produce them than any other product some future day they will take their place as one of the important artifacts of today's civilization