As illustration of this topic we are glad to report a chronology of the most important events that affected car evolution, from the origins until end of the Nineteenth Century (drawn by “The Motor Car. Past, Present and Future”, by Giancarlo Genta, Lorenzo Morello, Francesco Cavallino, Luigi Filtri, Springer, 2014).
3500 B.C.: introduction of the wheel for ground vehicles.
2000 B.C.: introduction of the spoked wheel.
1328: first drawing of a wind wagon by Guido De Vigevano.
1595: first vehicle suspended on springs, described by Fausto Venanzio.
1630: first description of tractive wheels operated by humans on board.
1673: first idea about an internal combustion engine operated by an explosive charge according to the Dutch physicist C. Huygens.
1690: Papin develops an idea about a steam engine suitable to move a motor carriage.
1769: Cugnot builds up a steam carriage with a pressure vessel and two cylinders acting on the front single wheel axle.
1802: Trevithick builds his first steam coach, that opens the era of steam coaches in England.
1803: Trevithick invents a steam engine on rails; an horizontal cylinder moves the rear axle with a rod and crank mechanism.
1807: De Rivaz builds a vehicle with an atmospheric internal combustion engine, working on hydrogen and electrical spark plug.
1817: Ackermann, English agent of the German inventor Längensberger, files a patent about steering of four wheels vehicles in cinematically correct conditions.
1822: the first commercial service of steam coaches (London-Birmingham) is started.
1828: Pecqueur invents and files a patent on a differential to be applied on a steam carriage.
1839: Goodyear invents the vulcanization process, to improve the mechanical properties of rubber.
1845: Thompson files a patent about a tire, to be applied to a horse carriage to reduce the traction force and improve comfort.
1856: Barsanti and Matteucci file a patent about the first combustion engine working automatically.
1860: Lenoir introduces a double acting gas internal combustion engine, without compression; it is the first to be produced industrially.
1862: De Rochas gives a description of a four cycle internal combustion engine with compression.
1865: the Red Flag law requiring the presence of a man walking in front of the motor vehicles with a red flag and a speed limit of 6,4 km/h is passed in England. It ended the era of the steam coaches.
1867: Otto and Langen start production of an atmospheric internal combustion engine.
1878: Jeantaud, a French car manufacturer, develops a link mechanism to obtain Ackermann conditions in practice.
1880: Bollée builds the steam cars Obéissante, Mancelle and Rapide: the last one, a 6 places car, is capable of a speed of 60 km/h.
1884: the patents of Otto are cancelled, because of prior claims by Beau de Rochas. From this date internal combustion engines are free of any license burden.
1884: Daimler develops the first four stroke single cylinder internal combustion engine for vehicles, featuring 0,5 HP.
1886: Benz develops the first car driven by an internal combustion single cylinder engine, featuring 0,8 HP.
1886: first Daimler car.
1887: Bosch files a patent about electrical magneto ignition.
1888: Dunlop files a patent about bicycle tires, but the patent is invalidated in 1890 because of Thompson’s priorities.
1890: Panhard and Levassor presents the first car with front engine and rear driving axle with an engine built under Daimler’s license.
1891: Peugeot introduces his car, with Panhard and Levassor engine. Panhard and Levassor and Peugeot are first in the world to produce cars with industrial processes.
1892: Diesel files a patent about a constant pressure internal combustion cycle.
1896: Michelin Brothers apply a pneumatic tire to a car.
1899 Renault develops the first direct drive gearbox, a shaft transmission with universal joint and, immediately after, the first sedan car.
1899: the French government enforces the first Highway code with a maximum speed of 30 km/h in the country and 20 km/h in the town; the driving license is also introduced.
