Path: csiph.com!weretis.net!feeder9.news.weretis.net!news.quux.org!eternal-september.org!feeder2.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: Lynn Wheeler Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,comp.os.linux.misc Subject: Re: The joy of Engine-Cars Date: Sun, 03 Nov 2024 11:25:52 -1000 Organization: Wheeler&Wheeler Lines: 39 Message-ID: <87cyjcyppb.fsf@localhost> References: <4b10d0c4-11a6-65e6-c8a3-0e10e24a3998@example.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Injection-Date: Sun, 03 Nov 2024 22:26:00 +0100 (CET) Injection-Info: dont-email.me; posting-host="1f9417782bdf7b454b5956d5cd73f4f2"; logging-data="585925"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX19bPdpcN6pFqe0acWSR8wPJUS1jhfhlMpE=" User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Cancel-Lock: sha1:2VQF+T9RPZH7FKqzc2XAueYpzIc= sha1:BY+7BA77E8CYH438tXt2FK61d3M= Xref: csiph.com alt.folklore.computers:228515 comp.os.linux.misc:60448 Lawrence D'Oliveiro writes: > The French had lots of brilliant engineering, and pioneered concepts > decades before other car makers adopted them -- like front-wheel drive. > Renault invented both the hatchback and the people mover. > > I looked up the details of Renault 4 suspension after reading the above; > it didn’t have self-levelling suspension (it was the Citroën 2CV I was > thinking of), but it did have a clever system nonetheless. One of the stories is that Ford went against conventional wisdom of electric cars and chose to do gas cars (gas cars were enormously heavy and engines barely able to move them along). Ford lucked out when he eventually discovered "French Steel" (new process w/vanadium developed in Europe that tripled the strength of steel) ... allowing the weight of the vehicle to be cut significantly (which played major role given how little power was available from gasoline engines of the period). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanadium Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently https://www.amazon.com/Iconoclast-Neuroscientist-Reveals-Think-Differently/dp/1422115011 pg125/loc1324-28: The Model T became possible only when Ford heard about a new type of steel that was being smelted in France. French steel contained a secret ingredient, vanadium, which made it three times stronger than regular steel. This changed everything for Ford. As with other iconoclasts, his perception of the automobile instantly changed when he saw what could be done with a vehicle that weighed a third less. Now, little gas engines that struggled to pull a heavy car suddenly weren't so anemic anymore. A little engine could do a lot with a car that didn't weigh very much. The Model T was released in 1908, and within the first year, Ford had sold 10,607 of them, more than any other manufacturer. Reducing the weight by 2/3rds with two cylinder engine ... made the Model T a significantly more attractive vehicle. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_T -- virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970