Theres really no such thing as new ideas when it comes to cars.

[Tripper]

What about windshield wipers?

Whoops... I meant intermittent wipers!!!

Robert Kearns inventor of the intermittent windshield wiper!

BoB

 

[hillbilly4008]

another one is headlights that turn with the tires. They came out in the 20s, and are used on luxury cars today.

 

[LordMaximo]

You guys are forgetting the old AMC rides too. They had all sorts of things on their builds that the big 3 said would not work. Heck I can remember the push button trans selecter my uncle had on his ride. And there is a conversion that came out 6 years back to make the standard automatic a push button on the dash.

Old Tucker had a dream that sent everyone over the wall, he was burned out because of his dreams and the big-3 made sure of that one too.

Maximo

 

[EnglishBob]

I'll tell you something new.
Cars that rust before they leave the showroom

 

[FresnoRatRod]

I think as far as creativity and advancing ourselves we are slowing down. We have had alot of amazing things happen in the last 100 years BUT I do think big business is keeping the real inventions and innovations under wraps. More money for them that way. Release "new things" every so many years that they have had ready for a decade or more.

 

[madman]

I'll tell you something new.
Cars that rust before they leave the showroom

Lada has been doing that for decades! (I know because I own a couple)

 

[Sam_Fear]

I think as far as creativity and advancing ourselves we are slowing down. We have had alot of amazing things happen in the last 100 years BUT I do think big business is keeping the real inventions and innovations under wraps. More money for them that way. Release "new things" every so many years that they have had ready for a decade or more.

Not so - innovation is just costlier and riskier in the car market. None of the car companies can afford to have an Edsel size flop. Although they all have tried their best at it....

I have a 54" HDTV, a BlueRay DVD player, a Digital camera, a cell phone, a laptop hooked to high speed internet that I can use to discuss important matters with other like minded individuals.... If anything, it's the infrastructure that can't keep up with invention.

How about the car that parks itself? GPS? Of course those ideas have been around for a long time also - they were called a chauffeur!

 

[sixtall]

Lada has been doing that for decades! (I know because I own a couple)

Hah !! Had a 1500S for a few years back in the early-mid eighties. Didn't think any were still on the road !!

 

[motorpsykler]

Some people think a push button starter is something new!!

I work at a car dealer, I was all excited when I saw the literature about 5 years back, saying that we were going to get push button start. When we got it, I was totally disappointed. The damn button isn't connected to the starter solenoid at all. It's just an electronic switch that, what I always say, "initiates the start sequence". The ECM does everything, it's about as satisfying as turning on a DVD player.
One of the things that I absolutely MUST have when I get to that point on my rat rod, is a big heavy truck-stop sourced toggle switch to power on the ignition, and a heavy momentary-on starter button. No damn key either, I'll hide a kill switch somewhere.

 

[Cob]

Heres an interesting way to easily verify supressed inventions or inventions before their time.

Go to Google and click on "MORE" and scroll down to patents. Even has an advanced feature search that lets you search by name, subject year or what ever.

You can see drawings and everything plus link to the patent office copy if you wish. This is vastly superior to searching at patent office

Very fast and easy site to negotiate.

 

[Bonehead]

Heres an interesting way to easily verify supressed inventions or inventions before their time.

Go to Google and click on "MORE" and scroll down to patents. Even has an advanced feature search that lets you search by name, subject year or what ever.

You can see drawings and everything plus link to the patent office copy if you wish. This is vastly superior to searching at patent office

Very fast and easy site to negotiate.

That is good stuff, thanks.
http://www.google.com/patents?hl=en


.

 

[EnglishBob]

Lada has been doing that for decades! (I know because I own a couple)

I owned a Lada riva in 1983..still wasnt rusty in the dealership.

 

[440shorty]

rusty cars

Chrysler, and especially Dodge, had a big time problem with premature rust in 1957. Ever wonder where all those '57 Dodges went? They were rusting on the showroom floor!!

From time to time the auto manufacturers have had paint problems. Sometimes the government meddling is to blame (paint formulas and the EPA), sometimes not.

Jaguars years ago had electrical problems from new. It was not uncommon to see battery chargers on them in the showroom.

I had a '67 Imperial that had almost all the same features as my '89 LTD Crown Vic and some the '89 lacks! (Auto headlights, 6 way power seat, tilt/telescoping steering wheel, full gauges, speed control, power windows, door locks, brakes, steering, remote trunk release, A/C, AM/FM stereo... And that 3-body trunk

Except for the things computers can do, like the mileage/trip computer the Ford has, and the computerized Ford fuel injection, there isn't much new that has already been done.

Remember the Bendix electronic fuel injection that came out on Chrysler products in 1958? The electronics were not robust enough for the harsh automotive environment, but it did work! Of course, most got changed back over at the dealer to carburetors due to unreliability, but that didn't get old either.

Heck, it took another 15 years for the electronics to get tough enough to be reliable. My father bought a brand new 1973 Plymouth Satellite wagon that had the Chrysler electronic ignition, which had already gained a reputation for unreliability. So he got a points distributor and set the car up so that it could be changed over to points when necessary and kept the parts in the car. He taught my oldest brother, Jeff, how to swap distributors and change over the wiring. Sure enough, one summer when Dad was back home at work and we were out of state on vacation, Jeff had to change over the ignition - at age 14!

The good old days? YES

440shorty

 

[dmw56]

Rambler Rebels had the Bendix fuel injection in 1957!!!

 

[Cob]

And now we have the rebirth of the inner tube? But this time its got a high tech name

http://www.exxonmobilchemical.com/P...lish/Newsroom/Newsreleases/chem_nr_021105.asp