Brief history of the Automobile It was shocking to find out that history of the automobile goes back to the discovery or invention of the wheel. Conceptually, humans have always had the need and urge for a machine that can transport them from one place to another. The idea could have been inspired early on when people realized that they could train and tame some animals to transport them. But the limitations that animals have were proven inefficient to the modern world. According to the Chevron online educational publication there were three major dates that indicated the evolution of the four –wheeled-machine with an engine powerful enough to move on its own energy. In 1769 the first few automobiles were assembled using steam engines, and it wasn’t until 1806 that the first fuel gas-powered engine was made. Later in 1885 the first oil/gasoline car was introduced to the market. Though these three years marked the evolution of the engine mainly, the evolution of the automobile has been marked in many more categories. Automobile engineers have been redesigning this machine for over three centuries; in seek of more engine power, more speed, more efficiency, more modernity and always striving to make the next best car on the market. There are six main eras identifiable in the history of cars, and these are: The Veteran Era This era began in Germany the year 1888, when Karl Benz designed and produced an automobile capable of reaching 28 miles an hour with a 650 cubic centimeters engine. Benz’s automobile design opened up the door for the mass production of cars, leaving him the legacy title of “Father of the modern automobile”. During this era the car industry in Europe emerged and soon automakers starting funding research for the improvement of this new commodity. The Brass Era (1905-1914) This era has a few notable characteristics: for one it marked the beginning of the car industry in the United States, it focused on brass as the main metal used in its production and it created the shift of the engine from the back of the car to the front of the car. A couple other characteristics of this era were the standardization of the engine design and the speed at which technological changes evolved for this machine. The Vintage Era (1919-1929) This period is characterized by the improvement of the exterior model of cars, until 1919 90% of cars sold and made were open-bodied; by 1929 90 % of cars made and sold were closed-bodied. This became the new standard in the industry and as its production increase so did the development of engine power. The internal combustion engine yielded cars of V8, V12 and V16 engines. The Pre-WWII Era (1930-1948) This era ran parallel to the great depression of the 1930s’ and through the economic recover of the 1940s’. As all industries did, the automobile industry was no exception to the terrible hits of the crash of the Wall Street. However there were other physical changes to car models that mark this era. One of them was the inclusion of a trunk for storage, and the polishing of the interiors, making cars more luxurious and comfortable than before. Post-war Era (1949-1967) The recovery of the economy boosted the car industry and allowed it to thrive once more. This era’s main focus was on performance and speed. In Italy Enzo Ferrari launched his super speed Ferrari model enticing other carmakers to design competing models. The big names of speed cars emerged in this era such as BMW, Cadillac, Volkswagen, and many others. At this point there was already a standard division of models, on the popular end was the family oriented sedan and on the high class status standard was the luxury fast car. Features that were previously invented but proved inefficient were reinvented such as the GT capability and traction control system. In addition a variety of functionalities were implemented like the tiny Mini-Cooper, the cargo truck, the convertible, the hunchback from Volkswagen and many others. The Modern Era (1980-present) This era has seen a large number of improvements on modern cars, but one of the most important features is the computer-aided design. Modern cars have the capability of GPS, wireless telephone communication, sensorial devices, digital radios and many others. In addition we can chose between front wheel drive, and all wheel drive. Today the focus of the American car industry is zoomed on fuel efficiency and the development of alternative sources of fuel and energy. We have so far been able to power cars with electricity, corn ethanol, diesel, gasoline of different grades and the most efficient and clean sugar ethanol. In this era the progressive alternative has been introduced known as the Hybrid car. It is clear that the evolution of the automobile has matured and flourished, today our world is dependent on it. The automobile development has lead to the development of many industries and commodities. Cars serve many more purposes than simple transportation, and thus have been incorporated to our daily routines. Cars have evolved to efficient, comfortable, luxurious, beautiful, ugly, fast , large and small. As a part of our world we feel the presences of this amazing machines every day almost every where we look. Bibilography Chevron Cars official website. Retrieved 07/13/09 http://www.chevroncars.com/learn/cars/cars-history Longstreet, Stephen. A Century on Wheels: The Story of Studebaker. New York: Henry Holt and Company. p. 121. 1st edn., 1952. http://www.allisons.org/ll/4/History/ Wikipedia official. Retreived 07/13/09 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_automobile