The history of the first cars

The history of the first cars began in 1886 the first year. This year, the world's roads plowed at least two "horseless" vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines - three-wheeled car Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler four-wheel machine. Since that time, you can probably keep and istoriyuavtomobiley, although the first truly road vehicles came later - at the beginning of last century. Designer of the first cars had something to do, apart from the body, so the first "horseless carriages" were nothing more than a motorized carriages. And in the case of a failure of the engine, instead it could use the old cloven-hoofed animals with a capacity of one horsepower. Trace the main stages of automotive history. The coach with the engine has four-wheel-maker first car designers have borrowed not only the crew, but also their names. Word coupe, phaeton, convertible landau were run before the advent of the car. Amongst the bodies of the first cars borrowed from horse-drawn carriages are design elements like the suspension, wheels. Body or, as it was then called in many countries, "karosseri" for a long time coach-produced masters, who both made horse-drawn carriages. Therefore, the first cars were often similar to the coach, the abandoned horses. And, sometimes to the front bodywork of motor carriages put a fake horse's head to give the car similar to the crew. Some designers even offered to supply the vehicle shafts with suspended them stuffed horses, stuffed inside the trunk to place the radiator and fuel tank. Despite all the archaic structures at the dawn of motoring, we must pay tribute to those masters, all those days cars were made with exceptional care. It was connected not only with the fact that the owners of the first cars were influential people, noble and very demanding, from which it is better not to have any complaints, but often with higher speed of the car, compared with the horse carriage. At the turn of the century, some cars have reached speeds an order of magnitude greater than horse. Body with the motor experienced considerable dynamic loads, and any marriage made itself felt. Body Car of the last century were made of wood and upholstered plywood or outside sheet metal at the customer's choice - aluminum, copper and iron. Exterior panels and lacquered and polished to a mirror finish, but from inside cabin snug, as a rule, or leather, or cloth. A curious detail of the time: because the body had no bearing and is attached to the frame, the owners of the most expensive cars were asked to produce for them once two automotive body: "summer" (open) and winter (indoor), which, depending on the season, was fixed at one the same frame. So that the current concept cars GM, envisaging the possibility of rapid change of body, mounted on a single platform - is "well-forgotten old". The similarity of the car and horse-drawn carriage in the first stage of history was associated with the fact that the speed of the carriages and automobiles first, differed slightly, which allowed not even think about the aerodynamics, and other things, records are needed in the design of modern cars. Over time, however there are multiple cylinders, all the more powerful engines, which are installed on the car is gradually transforming Bull into quivering doe. It becomes apparent that the old shell requires modernization. So the way car designers and carriage masters disagree. However, dwell briefly on the first stage in the history of cars. Among motorists that time was a popular word runabout (Runabout). In the United States since before the 20 th century called all the double machine. However, the car with folding top often called the Phaeton. In this case, it phaetons enjoyed great popularity among the nobles, so do not accidentally, Volkswagen chose for his model of business class this name. Less luxurious and smaller sizes were Stanhope and Victoria - cars for modest representatives of the bourgeoisie, as it is now would say, successful middle managers. Such names were particularly prevalent in the U.S.. In Europe, the move was another word vuatyuret (Voiturett): the so-called light French cars. A more spacious family car designed for four and sometimes six passengers, called Surry and Brick. At the beginning of last century, almost all cars were open and could not risk a mistake to call any of the open car "tourer" or "all-weather tourer, if the machine was a folding or removable top. Locked cars began to appear only shortly before the First World War. And, if it were luxurious private car driver's seat still remained under the open sky: it was believed that the driver (in a past life, the driver) can not, as a servant to go under one roof with the Lord. Since then, traces its history is now well-known body type, called a limousine. True, the current driver travels just beneath the roof, but still separates him from the passenger bulkhead. At the time, began to be used and the other two now widespread term - coupe and sedan. It became a double and quad private carriages. The word "sedan", incidentally, came to us from the United States, Europe sedans preferred to call the saloon. Planes on wheels over the question of aerodynamics massive car began to think seriously after the First World War. (Aerodynamics of racing cars involved in the very beginning of the 20 th century.) On the one hand, this was due to the fact that the speed of cars has increased significantly - and the air resistance was impossible to ignore, with him it was necessary to fight. On the other hand, the cause of the burst development in the field of aerodynamic body was that after the war in the automobile companies are former aircraft designer, who knew firsthand what a good aerodynamics. In general, if the first stage of the automotive history of the creators of bodies have learned from the masters coach, after the war - from aircraft designers. Reducing aerodynamic drag was achieved in two ways - a decrease in cross sectional area of ??the car, giving it a streamlined shape. There are usually two ways simultaneously. On the roads appear tourer called "torpedo". These cars were below their modern chaise, had a relatively small cross-section, the seat backs were not for the board. These fast cars with their beautiful, sweeping forms immediately conquered the hearts of most motorists, and by 1920, few have produced a different type tourer. At the same time, companies that manufactured cars have begun to test large-scale car models in wind tunnels. The test results have led to what soon became more streamlined front and rear, all lower in the body become protrusions, in particular the spare wheel are more often hidden in the depths of the body. According to the previously mentioned historian Alexander Morawski, if at the beginning of the second decade of last century, the coefficient of air resistance for passenger cars averaged 0.065, then to the beginning of the 1930 value of the many models had been brought up to 0,03. On the average twice been reduced cross-sectional area of ??cars, which means that the absolute value of the resistance has managed to reduce by about a factor of 4. Cars were already long, but most importantly much faster. In the twenties, its aerodynamic cars on the general background of distinguished German aircraft Edmund Rumpler. His car took the form of a boat with an almost rectangular profile. Another former aircraft designer Paul Yaray attached to his car vanguard faired: they say that it produces no cars, a giant cigar. One of the greatest achievements in automotive aerodynamics is the appearance in the 1934 model Chrysler Airflow («Air Flow"). The car had a wide, short, sloping hood, a sloping rear wall set at an angle of the glass front and rear, while the body itself was low. Naturally, the car has good aerodynamics and in the future become an example to follow. In this model Airflow was revolutionary not only in terms of aerodynamics, this car was the first large streamlined car with monocoque body! With the frame and without known for a long time in the heart of all cars lay frame. Were mounted on the frame all the basic elements of design - engine, gearbox, front and rear axles, suspension and, of course, the very body. Typically, the frame consisted of two longitudinal beams and several cross. Originally for cars trying to use the elegant frame of steel tubing frame "bicycle" model, but when the velocity and, hence, the dynamic loads have increased, began to apply the frame longitudinal member of a durable and rigid steel profiles. However, in 1903, nearly 32% of cars had wooden frames and 14% - Tubular. Throughout the first half of last century automotive frame undergoing constant change and new types of frames (eg, spinal proposed designer Hans Ledvinkoy Tatra cars - and it is now used on the trucks of the brand). But despite the fact that each year the frame has become more and more perfect than in 1920-30's, many designers mastered the idea to give it up altogether. Among the pioneers was the Italian designer Vincenzo Lancia, who in 1922 constructed a model of the Lancia Lambda - the world's first car with a monocoque body! Later, the idea of ??carrying the body arrived, and others. In an increasing number of cars began to carry out the functions frame bearing all-metal body. The main advantage of unibody construction was able to significantly reduce the height of the body: lower center of gravity of the car was better to have its stability and manageability. The car was capable of a much higher speed, it is time to think about passive safety. Rigid and malleable on passive safety, ie the possibility to minimize the consequences of an accident, not seriously thought about for more than half a century since the advent of the car. How to make sure that in the case of a serious accident, the driver and passengers suffered only minimal? The issue was resolved Baren White, designer of the company Daimler-Benz, which was called the "father of passive safety." In 1952, Belarus has patented the basic principle of passive safety. According to him, the car body shall consist of two main parts: the rigid non-deformed "cells" interior (space for the driver and passengers) and crushed in the collision front and rear to absorb impact energy of the obstacle. For several years, safety belts have become an integral part of the equipment of cars. Later come the airbag, "active" head restraints, have become increasingly popular crash-tests to determine how to behave in the body of a car accident. All aimed at protecting the driver and passengers.