STEERING

April 01, 2015

March 01, 2015

February 01, 2015

ON THE LAST DAY OF CHRISTMAS – January 06, 2015

I was given 4 inches of snow.

GREAT DRIVES – THE ISLE OF MAN

Situated in the Irish Sea, the Isle of Man is located approximately 44 miles west of the coast of Great Britain. It is one of over 6,000 islands that make up the archipelago of the British Isles. Man is not part of the United Kingdom; it is a democratic constitutional self-governing Crown Dependency whose monarch is, however Elizabeth II.

Covering 221 square miles, Man has a population of about 85,000 people. The natives are an ethno linguistic group known as the Manx who descended from the Celtic Gaels with Norse influence. The largest populations of Manx people living outside of Man and England are found in Cuyahoga County, Ohio whose land area is over five times greater than the island itself. The number of folks living in Cleveland that are Manx descended is estimated at 25,000 – 30,000.

The little island, with its green hills by the sea, is home to Lady Isabella, whose image appears on the back of the Manx 20 pound bank note; she is the World’s largest working waterwheel. However, better known are the motorcycle road races which include the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy or “TT” which runs a 37 mile loop from Ramsey through Douglas and back to Ramsey. Since 1907, the TT has been considered the most challenging motorcycle road race in the world.

The race course makes use of the island’s public roadways, including the A18 Snaefell Mountain Road. It is a demanding and dangerous circuit where bikes reach over 200 mph. When not in use for racing, motorists can drive the same route unrestricted by speed limits.

THE MUSTANG I

It was Ford designer John Ferzely who borrowed the name “Mustang” from the WW II P-51 fighter plane and suggested it be applied to a small concept car they were developing. Phil Clark, inspired by the vision of a running wild horse, designed the emblem and the car became the Mustang that is referred to as Mustang I.

The Mustang I had a lightweight aluminum body with power provided by a mid-mounted 1.5L German Ford V-4 engine with a 4-speed gearbox.  The seats were made part of the body for added rigidity so consequently the steering column and foot pedals had to be made adjustable to suit the driver. The car weighed just 1500 pounds and featured four-wheel independent suspension, rack and pinion steering and disc brakes. Roy Lunn, who headed the engineering team, would also be involved in the development of the Ford GT40 race car.

Two Mustang I prototypes were produced by race car fabricator Troutman-Barnes in California; one had an 89 horsepower version of the V-4, the other developed 109. On October 7, 1962 the car was shown to the public at the U. S. Grand Prix in Watkins Glen, New York.

The automotive press loved it and it would have been a sensational little sports car but Ford Division General Manager, Lee Iacocca, had no intention of building it. He thought it would be expensive to produce and without a back seat the market too small. The car he had in mind was the studio design model called the “Cougar.”

It was the Cougar that went into production but by then it carried the name and emblem from the little sports car. Two years later when Mercury was given its’ version of the pony car the cat was revived.

The Mustang I can be seen on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

THE MARMON WASP

The Wasp was driven to declared victory by Ray Harroun in the first Indianapolis 500 back in 1911. But, was it actually the winner? There are those who say the true winner was Ralph Mulford in a Lozier and that a series of errors in scoring by the judges denied him the victory. It’s an interesting bit of racing history trivia but something not likely to ever be verified. Regardless, it makes the Wasp no less interesting. It was the only car in that first 500 that made no provision for a “riding mechanic.” Riding mechanics had the task of doing repairs to the car during the race and acting as a spotter for the driver. With no spotter on board, Harroun installed a mirror that allowed him to see cars approaching from his rear. This reduced weight and allowed his Marmon to be more streamline; however, the next year the rules were changed to require that all cars have a riding mechanic and it continued to be that way until 1923.

WHO BUILT THE FIRST AUTOMOBILE ?

The answer isn’t simple; it depends on how you define what an automobile is. The word “automobile” is French and means a vehicle that moves itself. It’s generally accepted that Karl Benz made the “World’s First Practical Motorcar” for which he was granted a patent on January 16, 1886.  It was a three wheeled vehicle so there are those who will say “that’s a motorcycle, not a car” and others will point to steam powered gun carriages and traction engines that could be driven on a road well before 1886.  You could counter that steam vehicles aren’t powered by “motors.” That’s true, a motor is an electrical device but the Benz didn’t have a motor either, it was powered by an internal combustion petro-engine.

When it comes to who built the first American car it isn’t any easier. In 1871, Dr. J. W. Carhart, a professor of physics at Wisconsin State University, who along with the J. I. Case Company built a steam car. It was this vehicle that motivated the State of Wisconsin to offer a $10,000 prize to the winner of a 200 mile race in 1878.

By 1890, Ransom E. Olds had built two steam powered cars. The first was sold to a man in India. It was lost at sea when the ship transporting it sank.

Antique Automobile and the Encyclopedia Britannica credit John Lambert of Ohio City, Ohio as having built America’s first successful automobile in 1891. Like the Benz, it was a three wheeler.

On September 21, 1893, brothers Charles and Frank Duryea drove a converted horse buggy powered by a 4 horsepower gasoline engine on the roads of Springfield, MA.

It is said that William T. Harris of Baltimore and Gottfried Schloemer of Milwaukee built successful cars in 1892. Louis and Albert  Baushke’s “Autympbile” with  4-wheels was built in Benton Harbor, Michigan in 1894.

Henry Ford is often mistakenly created with building the first car but it was 1896 before he built the Quadracycle. He sold it for $200 and then built another one and that eventually led to something.