Legends of car world - First cars in the world to get important technologies - First car with Fuel Injection System - 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL | ET Autolytics

Legends of car world - First cars in the world to get important technologies

The first in the world of cars has to be the creation of the world itself.

In the year 1886, Benz Patent-Motorwagen was invented by Karl Benz. This was considered the birth of the modern car as it was the the first petrol or gasoline powered automobile. A few copies were also made, also making it the first production model.

However, the first internal combustion engine which was fueled by hydrogen and powered a vehicle, was invented by François Isaac de Rivaz in 1807.

Are you thinking whether there were cars ever without steering wheel? Interestingly, there were. Before steering wheel, cars were steered by something called a tiller.

The first usage of steering wheel was seen for the first time in 1894 in Alfred Vacheron when he drove a Panhard 4 hp model in the Paris–Rouen race.

However, by the time car started being mass produced, steering wheel, thankfully, was well and truly integral to cars.

The image here shows evolution of steering wheel down the ages.

Mercedes is also credited for creating the first production diesel car in the world, the 260D. It was first showcased in 1936 and was powered by a 2545 cc overhead-valve, 4-cylinder inline diesel. It was produced till 1940.

In 1939, The Packard Motor Car Company became the first automobile manufacturer to offer an air conditioning unit in one of its cars.

The air conditioners which were used were built by by Bishop and Babcock Co.

Hydramatic was the name of the first fully-automatic transmission used in a production car. It was used first time in the 1939 models of Cadillac and Oldsmobile brand from General Motors.

It wouldn't be very tough to guess the automaker's name who first introduced three-point safety belts in their car, if we tell you that the maker is best known for safety.

Yes, it was Volvo. In the year 1959, the Swedish automaker installed the three-point seatbelt in PV544 for the first time.

There have seatbelt versions before, like the two-point seatbelt, and there have been seatbelt versions since, such as the 4,5 and 6-point seatbelts. But it is the three-point seatbelt that is the three-point version that we all use today in our cars.

1955 SL Gullwing was the first car in the world to feature a four stroke petrol engine with direct fuel injection. The car used Bosch fuel injectors

1955 Citroen DS is considered to be the first mass produced car to come fitted with disk brakes.

Citroen DS, due to its many new features and futuristic design, became a highly sought after car of that era.

In India, automakers are slowly making anti-lock braking system a standard feature in all their cars. In many countries it is already mandatory to have ABS as standard.

However, the first production car in the world to come equipped with ABS was Jensen FF. A four-wheel drive grand tourer from the British manufacturer Jensen Motors, 360 units of the car were produced between 1966-71

Though airbags in cars were tried, tested, patented many a times since 1951, it was not until 1973 that it saw usage in a passenger car.

General Motor's Oldsmobile Tornado became the first car that was sold to public to be equipped with an airbag.

After all the first cars to have a technology, we move to a car that is first 'not' to have a technology.

The automotive technology has leapfrogged in the last few decades and it seems we are at a stage where traditional technologies, which were marvels at the time of their invention , are ready to be replaced.

So here we have the first car in the world without a single traditional light bulb. The new Mercedes S class, instead uses almost 500 LEDs in headlights, tail lamps and on the interior.

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