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The very first selfirst propelled road vehicle was a military tractor invented
1769
The very first self-propelled road vehicle was a military tractor invented by French engineer and mechanic, Nicolas Joseph Cugnot. -
1824 : Uphill struggle
English engineer, Samuel Brown adapted an old Newcomen steam engine to burn a mixture of oxygen hydrogen gas. He used it to briefly power a vehicle up Shooter's Hill - the highest point in south London. -
1858 : First Coal-gas engine
Belgian-born engineer, Jean Joseph Étienne Lenoir invented and patented (1860) a two-stroke, internal combustion engine. It was fuelled by coal gas and triggered by an electric spark-ignition. Lenoir later attached an improved engine to a three-wheeled wagon and completed a fifty-mile road trip. -
1865 : Speed restrictions introduced in UK
The Locomotive Act restricted the speed of horse-less vehicles to 4mph in open country and 2 mph in towns. The act effectively required three drivers for each vehicle; two to travel in the vehicle and one to walk ahead waving a red flag. For the next 30 years cars couldn’t legally travel above walking speed. -
1886 : Motor age moves forward
The first vehicles driven using internal combustion engines were developed roughly at the same time by two engineers working in separate parts of Germany – Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz. They simultaneously formulated highly successful and practically powered vehicles that, by and large, worked like the cars we use today. The age of modern motor cars had begun. -
1894 : Grand Prix racing begins
Motor racing began as cars were built. Races quickly evolved from a simple chases from town to town, to organised events like time trials endurance tests for car and driver. Innovations in engineering soon saw competition speeds exceeding 100 mph. Since races were often held on open roads, fatalities were frequent among drivers and spectators. -
1911 : Key development
Working for Cadillac’s design and development department, Charles Kettering invented the electric ignition and starter motor. Cars could now start themselves. Kettering later introduced independent suspension, and four-wheel brakes. And By 1930, most of the technology used in automobiles today had already been invented. -
1965 : Emissions regulations introduced
Controls on harmful emissions initially introduced in California, the rest of the world soon followed suit. Safety devices also became mandatory – before this, manufacturers only included seat belts as optional extras. -
1973 : Energy crisis
After the Arab oil Embargo beginning in October 1973, oil prices rocketed causing a world shortage. Though it was lifted a year later, the effect was explosive – especially in America, where huge gas-guzzling cars were the norm. Fuel economy was suddenly something to consider when buying a car. -
1978 : Safe stopping distance decreased
The first antilock braking systems (ABS) were developed for automobiles by German manufacurers, Bosch. They first appeared in trucks and cars made by Mercedes-Benz. ABS brakes to allow the driver to maintain steering control and to shorten braking distances.