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World's First Automobile
Carl Benz, a German mechanical engineer, designed and created the first three wheeled vehicle powered by a gas engine. The engine only had one cylinder, less than one horse power, and a top speed of 10 mph. -
First Hybrid Car
Ferdinand Porsche debuts first hybrid car at Paris' worlds fair. The hybrid car generates electricity from two small gas engines that power the front wheels. -
First Windshield Wiper
Mary Anderson created the first windshield wiper which was handle operated, rubber-bladed system. The goal of the windshield wiper was to remove snow, rain, or sleet from the windows of motor cars. No automaker took interest in Anderson's windshield wipers. It was not until 1922 when Cadillac made it standard on its cars. -
No More Engine Crank
Cadillac introduces the first electric starter in cars, which was created by Charles Kettering. The starter no longer requires drivers to hand crank the engines in order to start them. -
Ford's Assembly Lines
Henry Ford start the first moving automobile assembly line for the Model T. Production time was cut down from 12.5 hours to 93 minutes per vehicle. Between 1908 and 1927, 15 million Model T's were built making cars accessible for the masses. -
First Black-Owned Car Company
C.R. Patterson & Sons opened the first Black-owned car company in Green Field, Ohio. They only built a few dozen cars between 1915-1918 but went on to build the bodies for buses and commercial vehicles up until the Great Depression. -
Launch of Voltswagen Beetle
The first Beetle Factory was built in Wolfsburg, Germany. The factory only built 600 cars before the shift to wartime production occurred. By the late 1950s, the Voltswagen Beetle became a smash hit around the world. -
First Airflow Streamline Design
Chrysler designed the first airflow streamline design which included a tear drop shape and a forward-set cabin. The design ended up being a large sales flop and the design of the car was cancelled in 1937. -
World's First Front Wheel Drive Car
Andre-Gustave Citroën, a french engineer and industrialist, mass produced the first front-wheel-drive car. The light weight body had independent suspension and hydraulic breaks. -
World's First Jeep
With war occurring, the U.S. Army needed a light reconnaissance vehicle that could handle tough terrain. Willys-Overland established a design in just 75 days and delivered a prototype called the "Quad" due to its four wheel drive system. Willys-Overland ended up producing 700,000 Jeeps between 1941-1945. -
Ferrari’s First Red Car Debuts
Enzo Ferrari debut his 125 S at Italy’s Piacenza circuit. The car had 117 horsepower generated from a V-12 engine. Only two 125 S vehicles were ever built. -
Volvo's First Seatbelt
Nils Bohlin designed and developed a V-shaped, three-point seat belt for Volvo. The safety device took years to gain widespread use. The United States did not require seat belts until 1968. -
The First Mini Vehicle
Sir Alec Issigonis designed and created the small and well-known Mini car. The car had front wheel drive and a space saving sideways engine layout which became the basis for millions of modern cars and SUVs. -
Safety Requirements
10 months after the publication of "Unsafe at Any Speed", President Lyndon Johnson created the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The administration required auto makers to add seat belts, air bags, electronic stability controls, and now automated emergency braking. -
Clean Air Act - Reducing Emmisions
The Clean Air Act of 1970 led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. This caused automakers to adopt their first pollution requirements. The muscle car era was killed and emissions were greatly reduced as a result. -
Gas-Electric Hybrid Vehicle
The Toyota Prius, a gas-electric hybrid car, was first launched in Japan. The fuel-saving vehicle created a new era of cars causing other rival automakers to start producing gas-electric hybrids. -
Tesla Model S Takes Off
Elon Musk's first electric car was the Tesla Roadster, but the Model S Sedan took off in popularity. With its reimagined technology, the electric car has started a new trend for vehicles in the future. Electric transportation is here to stay along side gas powered vehicles. -
Cars Today
Vehicles today come in all shape and sizes, including vans, SUVs, cars, trucks, and more, from a variety of dealerships. As cars have developed so have their safety features. Along with airbags, seat belts, anti-lock breaks, and electronic stability control, cars now also have back up cameras, lower anchors and tethers for car seats, tire pressure monitors, traction control, blind-spot monitoring, brake assist, forward collision warning, lane-centering assist, and many more.