The steam engine is an external combustion engine. Its development goes back as far as the first century, however, the development of the first piston steam engine didn’t occur until 1690. Invention of its application was slow but many insights into the use of energy to help mankind get places and build things were progressing. In the 1700s, James Watt made great strides in perfecting the steam engine. The steam engine used coal or wood at first to generate the steam and the steam needed to be produced in a huge container in the early stages of development. Problem. Too big and cumbersome. Eventually, automobiles were built using smaller engines but the startup was time consuming and expensive. Most of the autos being built were one of a kind and expensive. The average working man made only between $300 and $400 a year and most prices of autos were more than $5,000. The auto became a status symbol because only rich people could buy them.
In 1885, Karl Benz invented the first automobile using many of the concepts of the steam engine without the steam. Petrol was found to be a great improvement over running the pistons for an automobile but the steam engine concept persisted and the race was on as to what type of engine would succeed in being the main type of locomotion for the roads. People liked the freedom of driving and they wanted a reliable and inexpensive form of vehicle to do this in. Many people jumped on the bandwagon to produce something that would catch on.
In the early 1900s, more than 1,000 businesses sprung up to supply an automobile for the public. Over the years, cars like the Cord, Stutz, Franklin, Maxwell, Pierce-Arrow, Duesenberg, Hupmobile, Olds, Chevrolet, Ford, Studebaker, etc. became well-known brands.
The first mass-produced auto that tasted success was the one that Ransom E. Olds made in the early 1900s and it produced 425 cars that year. It was the first high-powered volume gasoline powered automobile. Olds was acquired by General Motors in 1908. In 1904, the Maxwell-Briscoe Company of Tarrytown, New York, was formed. Sales were good, but a fire in 1907 forced a move to New Castle, Indiana. Walter Flanders acquired and reorganized the company as Maxwell Motor Company Inc., and moved to Detroit. The Maxwell was one of the top three sellers for a while but competition forced it to be sold to a former employee, Walter Chrysler in 1927. The Chrysler Corporation was then formed.
Henry Ford jumped into the competition and began producing his autos in 1903. He produced many prototypes over the next few years until he hit upon his successful production, the earth-shaking model, the Model T, in 1908. Being very innovative, Ford developed the moving assembly line to put cars together and, by doing this, blew the competition away for many years. The Model T was the mass-produced car on assembly lines with completely interchangeable parts and marketed to the middle class. The Model T was started with a hand crank. This was very dangerous to say the least. My uncle Bill lost his front teeth when his crank kicked back into his face while trying to start the engine. The auto had a flywheel magneto that produced the spark. A battery, added in 1928, was added for more dependable spark to the spark plugs. Electric headlights were added in 1915 and, after 1919, most cars were equipped with an electric starter. The two-speed transmission with a reverse gear later evolved into a three-speed stick shift. The automatic transmission was developed later and was standard on only high-priced cars at first. Wooden artillery wheels caused the tire to separate from the rim. Steel welded-spoke wheels became available in 1926 and the rim problem was solved thus cutting down on accidents when the tire flew off the car.
In 1927, Henry Ford watched the 15 millionth Model T Ford roll off of the assembly line in Highland Park, Michigan.
Chevrolet made its debut in 1911 with Louis Chevrolet and William C. Durant managing the production and business. Differences in management troubled the company and Chevrolet was acquired by General Motors in 1917.
The gas-powered, internal engine automobile became a dominant factor in our society that affected all phases of life in the United States.
Rediscovering the Peninsula runs every weekend. It is compiled through our archives created by Jim Clifford and the late Darold Fredricks.
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