Author: Dr Daniel Coren CEng MIMechE FHEA, Director of Studies for Automotive MSc Courses
In this third post in the series, Daniel discusses how culture has shaped the history of cars and how curiosity and adventure spur innovation.
A 5000-year fascination with motion
Ever since the wheel was invented, humans have been both fascinated and changed by rotational motion. Wooden-spoked wheels propelled the Ancient Roman quadriga, a four-horse-drawn carriage, to travel as far as the natural hot springs in Southwest England. And from that came the Celtic-Roman settlement of Aqua Sulis, what we now call the city of Bath. The evolution of horse-drawn to self-propelled vehicles has shaped the way we lead our lives - from how we move around for work or recreation, to how we build our cities.
The term ‘Grand Tour’ comes from the seventeenth-century practice of travelling around Europe to visit sites of cultural significance. Often accompanied by a tutor, they were a kind of precursor to the student gap year of today. Italy was a popular destination for ‘tourists’ and for the purposes of comfort and speed, the best horse-drawn carriages were used. In the twentieth century, Italian Carrozzerias (coachbuilders) were called on to create sleek bodywork for emergent vehicle manufacturers. Ranging from Alfa Romeo to Ferrari, the name Grand Tourer or GT was used often. It invited imagery of high-speed transport between desirable locations, with the sensory stimulation provided en route.
The 1947 Cisitalia 202 GT stands out as a milestone in this design arc. Featured in the New York Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) 1951 exhibition ‘Eight Automobiles’ it is now a part of their permanent collection. In 1976, Volkswagen launched a fuel-injected sporting version of their small hatchback, the Golf. Channelling the spirit of the 1973 Alfa Romeo Alfasud Ti (developed by Rudolf Hruska, ex-Cisitalia), the GTI as we know it was born.
Just as cultural awareness has influenced automotive development, so has this evolution birthed many cultural references. Would James Bond be the same without an Aston Martin, or Hellé Nice without a Bugatti? Could Herbie have been anything other than a VW Beetle? Would Harry Potter look right in anything other than a Ford Anglia? And is there a better car to go back to the future in than a DeLorean?
From adventure to innovation
When Norman Foster curated his 2022 exhibition ‘Motion. Autos, Art, Architecture’, the titanium-clad Bilbao Guggenheim was the chosen venue. Perhaps it’s no great surprise that an industry associated with motion has a propensity for dynamic change. Some of this change has brought celebration, and some of it has drawn criticism. This propensity for change is typically steered by a range of influences: technological breakthroughs, customer demands, or the need for regulatory compliance while still producing pleasing products. There are plenty of examples of this in the story of the car and linked to many motivational factors. With many of the successes, you can see the three pillars of sustainability[1] – environmental, societal, economic – at work. Here are a few.
Joyriding
An early protagonist of the spirit of motoring is Bertha Benz. Her 1888 adventure in a Benz Model 3 is considered by many as the first planned journey in a road-going vehicle. Exciting news travelled fast, and a growing number of people wanted to enjoy the thrill of the open road. In 1896, Henry Ford launched the quadracycle, perhaps referencing those Roman machines? In 1908, Ford introduced precision mass production and moving production lines with the Ford Model T. In doing so, cars became affordable to the masses. In the same year, Rolls-Royce employed hand-finished accuracy to set an early bar for reliability with their Silver Ghost. Serving a niche market, it laid the foundations for the brand values that it trades on today.
On The open road
Once on the move, the desire to go further and faster soon followed. A steam-powered De Dion was the first car to cross the finishing line of the inaugural motor racing event from Paris to Rouen in 1894, albeit at an average speed of around 10 mph. In 1896 a UK law requiring a person carrying a red flag to walk ahead of any car on the road was scrapped. The speed limit increased to a dizzying 14 mph (where a thoroughbred horse can sprint at 40 mph). Each year, this is celebrated with the Emancipation Run - a London to Brighton driving event for Veteran cars. This event then gave rise to the 2010 Brighton to London Future Car Challenge.
An Itala won the 1907 Peking to Paris race and featured removable mudguards that doubled up as ramps for navigating broken road surfaces. An engine of seven litres helped secure victory after 60 days, 20 ahead of their next rivals. A technology race involving reciprocating, rotary, and rotating internal combustion engines ensued. Lotus was dubbed 'Garigistes' by Enzo Ferrari. But by 1954, it had won its first Formula One race at the Davidstow circuit in the Southwest of England. One wonders what the Quadriga drivers would have made of that sight!
By 2019, the eight-litre turbocharged W16 engine Bugatti Chiron Super Sport could take you to 304 mph using unleaded petrol. In the same year, Stanley Whittingham was a co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, recognising the development of the rechargeable lithium-ion battery. It also marked a turning point for electric vehicles. The electric Buckeye Bullet 3 land speed record car achieved 341 mph in 2016. And in 2022 the electric McMurtry Spéirling fan car set the Goodwood Festival of Speed course record at 39.08 seconds. A case of electromagnetic force turning petrol-heads!
Designed by the Wind
Vehicle performance does not come from propulsion system power alone. Low-drag aerodynamics allow vehicles to slip to high speeds, or use less fuel when on the move, and in a more stable fashion. Sometimes they can be elegant too. Look to the 1937 Figoni and Falaschi bodied Talbot-Lago 150SS Goutte d’Eau, or the Sayer/Lyons designed 1961 Jaguar E-Type, displayed in the New York MOMA. By contrast, Alfa Romeo advertised their boxy-but-surprisingly-slippery 1963 Giulia Super as 'Designed by the Wind'. Coincidentally, the 1939 Schlorwagen has the same drag coefficient factor as the 2013 VW XL1 at 0.186. Though the latter is perhaps a more practical overall proposition as a road car.
The 2023 GMA T.50 takes things further by using active aero surfaces and variable speed ducted suction fans to provide downforce or drag reduction to suit the occasion. Aerodynamics influences motoring in other ways too. 'Wind-in-the-hair' driving has captured the imagination of UK motorists, with convertible sales outstripping those in continental Europe despite the prevailing weather!
Put another way, advancement through innovation and adventure is at the heart of the industry. That’s why our Automotive MSc courses feature not just engineering and technology, but also business management topics too. And we always encourage you to embody that creativity and courage we see through the history of the car. There are many lessons to be learnt from studying the past when we look to the future.
The spirit of the open road is currently being celebrated in the ‘American Road Trip’ exhibition at the American Museum in Bath (March to December 2024).
[1] https://ourworldindata.org/co2-emissions-from-transport
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