First car
In 1769 Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot bulit first car powered by steam engine. Car weighed about 2.5 tons, and his max speed was 4.8 mph (with passengers it was about 2.25), so it was very slow vehicle, and actually it was never use in street taffic.
As we can see in the picture up, it also didn't look like contemporary cars.
Combustion engine and petrol engine
In 1876 Nikolaus Otto invented petrol engine, it was a key moment in history of cars, new engine stronger and more practical then steam engine gave a lot of new possibilities for scientists and engineers, and then at the end of XIX century in 1893 german engineer Rudolf Diesel invented a combustion engine, which work bit diffrently then petrol engine. This was star of new era in car industry, of course still cars wasn't very popular but soon everything was going to change this.
In 1908 american constructor Henry Ford decided to create a car that could buy ordinary american famil - The Ford model T. It was realy amazing car at this time, many people want to have it, but moreover this car start a new race for car designers
Video from Ford factory.
In XX century, also army start to using cars, in first and second World War cars become basic means of transoprt, and was still improved. After wars, desings of cars change difrently, engineers started to work at aerodynamics, vehicles started to be bulit from lighter materials. Cars also become less expensive, especially in US. So again more people could buy them. In 1960's designers create prototype car of the future - Ford Gyron, that was looking amazing in those times.
But fortunatelly Ford Gyron stay only prototype, and wasn't use in mass production (in my opinion it looks ugly)
Instead very popular design was something like Audi 100 from 1968.
Modern times
Cars are still upgrading, aerodynamics and sport design are very popular nowadays, but sometimes one man can make something wrong, and create something like Fiat Multipla, which become the worst car made in 1998, in Time magazine rating, and also one of the 50 worst car in history. Many people argue about which designs is better, in my opinion cars from first half of century looks realy awesome, and I would like one in my garage some day, but from the other side modern cars also looks great and they are getting to be looking even better. The question is did realy cars design goes in right way, but maybe it is only the matter of taste.
 |
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X |
Rolls Royce form 1933
Sources:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4KrIMZpwCY
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Audi100ls_bj1973.jpg
http://autoswiatlo.motogrono.pl/files/2009/12/ford-model-T.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4lKnT8TuR9w/TnUXpnmOnRI/AAAAAAAAAkc/H3HxJGOEhXU/s1600/04+Ford+Gyron+1961.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobile
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolaus_Otto
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Nicholas-Cugnots-Dampfwagen.png
http://topmy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/evolution-cars.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~toodoo2/1933RollsRoycePhantomII.jpg
http://www.motoblog.com.pl/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/mitsubishi-lancer-evo-x.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/Fiat_Multipla_front_20080825.jpg
http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Multipla
In 1908 Henry Ford produced a first car which became accessible to the wide range of customers. Now it is not a problem to buy a car. The real problem is to pay for driving. Suprisingly, having a car is often far more expensive than just buying it. That's because each year you have to pay for insurance, inspections and simple maintenance. The price of petrol is now so huge that it is completely unprofitable to travel by car, especially when you have student discount for train tickets. Add to this the time spend and the petrol used in traffic jams, the condition of Polish roads, speed limits and fines. You will quickly deduce that the car is now far from being convenient, cheap and fast means of transport. Bear in mind that more than one hundred years have passed since the first models were produced. Modern cars have more potential capabilities but, in fact, driver can't use them because the average speed seems to be still even lower than used to be in the past.
ReplyDeleteI'm dreaming about my own garage fully filled of cars. Probably you know a Jay Leno and his garage. It is ... God. Beautiful!!! What is amazing for me, his cars have a their own mechanics whose carry on a oil level, tyre pressure etc. I know he is a American Star but costs of mechanisc must be hudge.
ReplyDeleteI love cars which are free from electronics. Ok, one exception is directed injection. Another "stuff" is killing a pure driving. I was drviving a karting a lot and I feel a different between it. What is unacceptable for me is modulated exhoasted sound as a new BMW M5 which you added on a beginning.
Nowadays there are so many cars factories and so many car models that everybody can find something proper. But I think that if we are talking about motorization the most important question should be – what to do with petroleum that soon can be exhausted. I think that huge and powerful car companies should do more to find alternative recourses because hybrid cars are not enough – they are too expensive and still they need petroleum. I hope that in the future driving will be cheaper and less harmful to the environment.
ReplyDeleteIt was quite amusing that in presentation there was Fiat Multipla which is in my opinion one of the most horrible car and unfortunately many people can't share my points because thera many of them in the streets of Warsaw. I'm wondering how it is possible that cars like this one could pass all steps of designing and are producing in factories. Companies have specialists from market analysis and they should prevet such situation. On the other hand we have many great cars and it is a real pleasure to watch them in the city.
ReplyDeleteNowadays car isn't only a mean of transport. I know it seems ridiculous, but people want to show how good and beautiful car they have. Sometimes it looks like contest whose car is the best. There are a lot of car models and people have large selection.
ReplyDeleteI think that new cars are more efficient, faster, more comfortable and safier, but older models looks amazing and their design is brilliant. Maybe I am a bit old-fashioned, but I like more older cars. I don't like cars filled in electronic gadgets. For me they are some kinds of toys and people have a big problem when electronics break. They can't do anything. But I don't say that all the new models are ugly. There are some beautiful cars with things which can make our life more convenient.
People want to improve cars and they work very hard every day to create something which will be perfect. Design isn't the most important thing. People want to create alternative resources, because petroleum is too expensive and the reserves of oil can be exhausted in the future. Impact on the environment is the second thing. People want to have beautiful, cheap cars, which won't badly affect the environment.
At the beginning of the history of car production having a car was a rarity. People couldn't afford it, it was a sign of status. Today, everything has changed. There are many people who have more than one car. One small, for driving around town. The big one for weekends and holidays. And sometimes a sport cat to brag. Having a car is something normal today. What's more, nowadays we can choose what we want. And it's not just about the design of the car, which are so different and there are plenty of them (talking about design, I agree that Fiat Multipla is the ugliest car in the world). What's important is that now there are many kinds of cars, more or less ecological or economic, like f. ex. electric cars. They are also more and more features that make driving more comfortable and easier. And they are getting cheaper. So today, the problem is not having a car but, unfortunately, petrol prices, which are more and more expensive.
ReplyDeleteIn 1769 Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot created the first car with a steam engine. The turning point was further inventions. Nikolaus Otto is the creator of the petrol engine and Rudolf Diesel built an combustion engine, which has become a great discovery. Began mass production of such vehicles used during the First and Second World War. In 1908, Henry Ford created the first family car - Ford T. Since then begun the rivalry to car manufacturers. They wondered about the appearance of "car of the future".
ReplyDeleteSince then a lot has changed, the cars are getting faster, more secure and better and better. They look completely different than before.
Today, the car is the part of the equipment of us. Few if this gives up to have the car. We have cars to move faster and to keep us comfortable. Now it is no longer even a luxury anymore, almost anyone can have a car.
I think new cars are better because you can rely on them and give us more comfort such as air conditioning.
Old cars look good in museums, exhibitions and weddings. Unfortunately, they are not suited to today's fast life.
Car designs is such an interesting topic! Although I'm a woman I really like nice cars - maybe I have a different taste than men but I guess we all wouldn't mind a vintage Aston Martin or Cadillac in our garages :) Nowadays I prefer small city cars such as Mini or Fiat 500.
ReplyDeleteBack to the history and evolution of cars - it is still quite impressing that a man could invited and improved in such a short time a vehichle like this. I suggest we all should consider how our cars will be like in 20, 40 or 60 years? Maybe we wouldn't need them anymore?
It is so amazing how much car has changed over the years. From this weird vehicle invented by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot in 1769 to modern one like Ferrari FF or porsche Spyder 918 for example. We could literally observe how cars were becomming faster and more attractive.
ReplyDeleteI just can't imagine the world without them. How wolud we move to places?
Nowadays almost every family has a car. You don't even have to be rich to purchase one. It's an absolute necessity.
In our time car is something normal but when first car was invented it was something unusual. First car built by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot was very primitive, has a steam engine and was very slow. It took over 100 years to Nikolaus Otto invented petrol engine but diesel engine invented by Rudolf Diesel caused the rapid development of the automotive industry. Since then, cars are constantly being improved. Engineers work on the aerodynamics, speed, comfort and safety of the cars. In modern time cars are very popular and engineers should work on new types of engines powered by electricity or hydrogen because conventional fuels pollute the air and will run out in the near future.
ReplyDeleteIt is ultimate true that cars are the necessity in modern world. I think there is nobody who could imagine life without them. Presented evolution of these vehicles is pretty amazing. Cars are still being improved by engineers. In my opinion the most important thing nowadays is to create cars which are 100% safe for the environment. Cars powered by Sun energy, electicity or hybrid cars, should be much more popular among society and they should be affordable for average user.
ReplyDeleteGenerally I am not interested in motorisation. The only aspect of it about which I care is an aesthetic side of cars. In my opinion nowdays cars lost their potential beauty. Ealier cars, in my opinion, were decisively more sophisticated. Probably the fact of taking bigger notice about this side of motorisation, was caused by lower number of cars.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't agree with the statement, that nowadays cars' constructors don't attach importance to vehicule design. I think they do, however with so many models available, the division based on utilisation facilities came out naturally. Eg. sport cars, designed for luxurious escapades, are mostly two-seated and very neat. On the other hand, the typical city cars are supposed to be comfortable for driving to work or picking up children from school and often have big boot. Those different intended uses define how the car looks like. Earlier cars were the luxurious goods, so they simply had to look good, so the people could show off! :)
DeleteThere are many changings about car's industry. The appearance of cars, many new functions, better comfort of driving. The evolution of these vehicles is really interesting. At the beginning there was only car powered by steam engine. Than, Rudolf Diesel invented a combustion engine, which work bit diffrently then petrol engine. Now, the main problem is to be able to keep a car. You have to pay for insurance. The price of petrol is now so huge and it' s better to buy a ticket and travell by bus or tram- especially when you have student discount. There are more and more vehicles and it is the reason that cars could be powered by eco-energy like sun because in this way we will protect our planet.
ReplyDeleteIn our time cars don’t mean only one of the most popular means of transport but sometimes can be used as expression of a person's status. A lot of people focuses more on same gadgets instead of safety, combustion of gasoline and convenience. What’s more, nowadays cars are faster, becoming safer and have better equipments which make driving simpler action. But the other hand developments in this field allows and provides you more choices. In other worlds, everyone can choose the car which is suitable for.
ReplyDeleteI also think that cars from half of century looks really awesome. At the beginning cars were available only for the elity. Then, ordinary people can live without a car, they could not dreaming about having one of them, because car was very expensive. Nowadays, almost all people can afford to buy any car. It is very intresting, how car has changed over the years. Now it is building from lighter materials so you can achieve a higher speed.
ReplyDeleteThis photos recalled me how I love old cars. Of course, not these from XIX century, but from '80 and '90. Nowadays most of cars have specific shapes, which may be safe for pedestrians during car accidents. But these rounded bonnets are so lack of spirit... I wonder if some producers back to old, checked shapes.
ReplyDeleteWell, actually cars from the end of XX century are not so old :)
DeleteIn my opinion the best and totally most stylish cars are american muscle cars from end of '60 decade. For example Dodge Charger from '69 - very big engine, rear wheel drive, pretty desing and that "bad" look. Perfect car, but very expensive if you want to drive more often than once a month.