RIKER ELECTRIC
Around the turn of the century, electric cars emerged as the elegant solution to horseless transportation. Because EVs were not temperamental or difficult to operate, they became the vehicle of choice among women. And many lawyers and physicians preferred them because they were clean. Charging at home also was considered a luxury, certainly more refined than pumping gas and adding oil. The 1897 Riker Victoria (shown) was one of the more refined examples of an electric car of that era, although it was one of the worst in terms of range. The stylish bodywork took precedent over battery placement, shortening its range to about 20 miles per charge. Still, that was far more than the average driver of the day ever needed. A.L. Riker, founder of Riker Electric Motor Co. in Brooklyn, blamed the car's limited range not on its design, but on the lack of a satisfactory battery technology. During a 1897 meeting of the Electric Vehicle Manufacturers, Riker said he had "yet to learn of a battery of high-efficiency and low-depreciation, which was the type required" for electric vehicles.
EARLY FWD CAR
The Horseless Age
Walter Christie's patent application for a front-drive car appeared in our June 29, 1904 issue. The powerplant sat transversely between the front wheels, with the crankshaft connected to the front wheels through, " a novel and improved transmission-gearing and clutch mechanism. The clutch was used to couple and de-couple the front wheels from the engine. It also was used to shift between low and direct gear, or reverse. The short halfshafts ended in Hooke joints, and the steering pivot was carried on the outer stub shaft. Walter Christie specialized in racing cars and "motor-propelled war chariots, including those of the amphibian type." The front-drive system shown here was used successfully by Christie on some of his early racing cars, but the lack of a suitable transaxle design likely doomed this novel approach.
DETROIT AUTO SHOW
Unlike serious motor vehicle exhibitions such as the Paris show, the 1903 Detroit Auto Show was actually an adjunct to a Sportsmen's show that ran at the Detroit Armory. The Horseless Age covered the event in its February 18, 1903 issue, stating that the event only had about 3000 visitors per day, and that most of them did not come to see the cars. "To put it mildly, the show from the standpoint of the automobile exhibitors was hardly a success," our editors reported. "The growling of the 200 or more dogs and the noise in the shooting gallery put a hard strain on the nerves of some attendants." We concluded that a dog show was not the proper place to promote the automobile.
SPRUNG POWERTRAINS
This device, written about in our May 24, 1899 issue, was designed to transmit power "jerk-free" by attaching the drive gear to a spring-mounted arm. A casing was fitted around the solid axle connecting the left and right wheels. It carried the lower spring arm and axle assembly. This could rotate fore and aft, changing the position of the drive pulley. Acceleration and bumps compressed the spring and moved the pulley forward, which slackened the belt. Under braking, the spring expanded, stretching the belt tight. This was, the inventor claimed, especially effective when an electric motor was used for both drive and braking. About this same time, A.B. Andrews of Center Point, Iowa was taking spring theory a bit farther. He used a clock spring type mechanism to drive a vehicle. His prototype was his child's baby carriage. A winding mechanism was fitted to permit the "engine" to rewind on downhill sections, or to provide self-winding on level roads.
RACING
Growing interest in the automobile spawned the inevitable sport of racing. Henry Ford was one of the pioneers, building his first race car in 1901. Ford's 26 hp racer was tested against a Winton in October of that year, winning the race handily with an average speed of 43.5 mph. Mr. Ford later claimed to have done a flying half-mile in 26 seconds (69.2 mph), and defied any foreign machine to challenge him. In France, speed was also a topic of the day. M. Serpollet drove his torpedo-shaped steam-car (shown) to a flying-kilometer record at a speed of near 75 mph. It broke the world's record in April 1902. Two years later, Ford drove his famous 999 racer over a record flying mile, averaging 92.3 mph. In the same year, Ford's 999 set a speed record on an oval track at nearly 60 mph.
STEAM POWER
Steam power was well understood in early automotive days, but its use in passenger vehicles peaked quickly and disappeared. Because of its limitations in range and safety, it was best suited for industrial applications such as locomotives or overland freight trains as shown in this 1899 ad. Steam automobiles couldn't carry enough water to provide acceptable mileage, and the drive to make passenger vehicles lighter forced boilermakers to compromise integrity for weight. Many tragic boiler explosions resulted, tainting the image of the steam-powered car. By the time a reliable kerosene-fired boiler came on the market, along with more steam-efficient engines, demand for the technology was surpassed by interest in electric and gasoline power.
By the time a reliable kerosene-fired boiler came on the market, along with more steam-efficient engines, demand for the technology was surpassed by interest in electric and gasoline power.
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