Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/06/24
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At the same time that that the US was covering all sorts of design excess, it was also creating 1. Disk brakes (available on the '51 Chrysler) 2. Fuel injection (available from GM on various Chevrolet models from the mid-50s onward; Chrysler briefly introduced an electronically governed fuel injection system in 1957) 3. Front wheel drive (introduced in 1929 in the L-29 Cord, and revived in the mid-30s Cord sedans. GM and Packard also build experimental front drive cars in that era. Unfortunately, with the technology of the time front drive required excessive maintenance.) US production cars from the 1960s included front drive (1966 Olds Toronado and 1967 Cadillac Eldorado), well before the first front-drive compact cars appeared in the US. 4. Torsion bars (in all Chrysler Corp. cars in 1957 and thereafter.) We could go on with US engineering innovations, including the Trinitron (patented by RCA in 1951). What the rest of the world did VERY well was figure out how to commercialize US engineering innovations, making them less expensive and more reliable. In many cases, such as front drive and the Trinitron, there were interim leaps forward in technology between the innovation and mass commercialization. Jim Shulman Wynnewood, PA -----Original Message----- From: lug-bounces+jshul=comcast.net at leica-users.org [mailto:lug-bounces+jshul=comcast.net at leica-users.org] On Behalf Of George Lottermoser Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 10:55 AM To: Leica Users Group Subject: Re: [Leica] IMG: American Styling While the rest of the world engineered: disk brakes fuel injection front-wheel drive torsion bars etc, etc The US designed: fins hood ornaments grills ridiculous names and hyperbolic advertising Regards, George Lottermoser george at imagist.com http://www.imagist.com http://www.imagist.com/blog http://www.linkedin.com/in/imagist On Jun 23, 2009, at 7:25 PM, Jim Shulman wrote: > There are many things that helped to kill the US auto industry, > well above > the styling excess of 50s and 60s cars. _______________________________________________ Leica Users Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information