Setting wheels in motion

Here's a tribute to the remarkable men and women who played a vital role in the creation of the car as we have come to call this wonder machine.

Imagine a world without automobiles, a world where the fastest means of transport is the horse-drawn cart. In this world, someone had the imagination and determination to design and manufacture an automobile, changing transport
for ever. We pay tribute to the automobile pioneers, the inventors and manufacturers whose dream was proclaimed impossible but is today's reality.

Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot

Cugnot was a French army captain who built what is said to be the world's first automobile in 1769.

It was a three-wheeled vehicle capable of carrying four people and used a steam engine for power.

The maximum speed was 2mph and it had to stop every 20 minutes to get enough steam.

Nikolaus August Otto

In 1876, a German shop clerk, Nikolaus August Otto, invented and built the first internal combustion engine. Otto's engine was different from the other engines as it used fuel vapour or gas instead of steam and the combustion of fuel took place inside, hence the name internal combustion. Otto's IC engine is the ancestor of the current automobile engine.

Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz

Germans Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz share credit for building the first modern cars, though both did it independently of each other. In 1878, Karl Benz developed a two-cycle internal-combustion engine and later a light four-cycle engine. He invented the differential drive and other automotive accessories.

In 1885, he built a three-wheeled vehicle with an internal-combustion engine. In 1882, Daimler devoted himself to the construction of light, high-speed gasoline and oil engines. Daimler and Benz were the pioneers in automobile manufacturing as they created cars that ran on gasoline and in addition had steering and a gearbox.

Duryea Brothers

Charles and Frank Duryea created the first US automobile in 1893 and built several gas-powered automobiles between 1893 and 1895.

Rudolph Diesel

German engineer Rudolph Diesel invented the diesel engine that he patented in 1892. It was radically different from the petrol engine. In the diesel engine, the fuel is ignited by compression of air in the cylinders instead of by spark which
was the norm. It uses thermal energy more efficiently than petrol engines. In the 1900s, diesel engines were reserved for ships and only in the 1930s were they used in automobiles and trucks.

Henry Ford

Ford is the American industrialist and inventor who built not only his own engine and his own car but was responsible for several innovations in the automobile. He was the first to introduce standardised, interchangeable parts and the assembly line technique to increase efficiency of the automotive industry.

He produced the Model T car, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

Mary Anderson and Charlotte Bridgewood

Mary Anderson created the windshield wiper in 1903. She initially made it to clean windows during winter. However, on a trip to New York, she noticed that the driver's vision was blurred due to rain and modified her wiper to fit cars. It became standard equipment in all American cars by 1916.

In 1917, another woman named Charlotte Bridgewood invented the automatic windshield wiper but it was not a commercial success until the late 40s.

Charles Kettering

He came up with the first electrical starter motor ignition system in 1911 that helped you start by sitting inside the vehicle rather than having to manually start the car by hand. For many it might seem like a trivial invention but just think of the time and energy saved. His other inventions include leaded petrol and lacquer for cars that protects paint, apart from imparting a glossy finish.

Margaret Knight

Knight invented the stop motion device for machines, so they can be switched off by pressing a button.

This might seem a very simple invention, but think about how you can switch off your AC, radio, lights, and windshield wipers while driving your car. This invention made it possible.

Edith Flanigen

Edith Flanigen invented the crude oil refining process in 1956. Her molecular sieves made petroleum production efficient, safer, and commercially viable and this saw the birth of the golden age of the automotive industry worldwide. Flanigen's invention also made petroleum production cleaner.

The automobile has created mobility for people worldwide on a scale never seen before. It has freed people from the limitations of geography and weather. Cars have made commuting possible and have changed the real estate map.

Thanks to the pioneers who dreamt the impossible and made it real, we can say we are truly free.