Looking back on the evolution of the car, I think it’s pretty safe to safe that we’ve a come a very long way from the first automobile designed by Daimler Benz. Originally all it was a standard horse drawn wagon with a small prototype engine. Looking at the modern cars of today it’s astonishing how quickly and by how much the industry has progressed. We have made improvements to practically every aspect of the car from the engines to the fenders, to the wheels, interiors, safety feature, you name it.
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- Electric components
The original engine didn’t have any electric components at all, and the first car that revolutionized the automobile industry by including electric components was the Lancia Theta, which had an electric starter and lights. Before then, automobiles would have to be started using a hand crank method. Since then, the electric components that we use in our cars have become more and more complex and useful. Electronic fuel injection, ABS, the various sensors in the engine bay tracking performance, Lighting, stereo etc.
- Front wheel drive
Initially cars were all rear wheel drive, but when European engineers at Saab and Citroen realized that front wheel drive cars could be made smaller overall but with greater interior space, they revolutionized the industry. This is the basis of basically 90% of modern cars due to the fantastic practicality and spaciousness.
- The safety of crumple zones
It took a while for engineers to figure out that simply having a rigid car wasn’t enough to protect passengers from harm, instead the energy of a collision needs to be dispersed withing the car itself, saving passengers from excessive force. This feature that is misunderstood and underrated is called the crumple zone. Due to this revolution, modern cars are able to pass tough crash test standards.
- GPS
GPS is something that most modern drivers take for granted in their daily lives, but it used to be that drivers would have to carry physical copies of maps to get around the country at one point. GPS has in fact become so popular that it has become quite mundane and boring, with most drivers expecting the feature from any car. The GPS in the center console has become commonplace with many manufacturers even introducing entertainment options to the center console.
- Aerodynamics
There was a time when all cars used to be shaped more or less like rectangles with wheels. And though viewing the now presents you with a touch of nostalgia and admiration, one thing they weren’t all too great at was mileage and aerodynamics. It took a while for aerodynamics to be completely understood with race team engineers pioneering playing around with the shape of the car and adding wings for extra downforce. Nowadays, cars are examined back and forth in wind tunnels to ensure optimum aerodynamics and mileage.