Alicia Lalko
HFCC
English
1/30/2015
0 to 100 Real Quick
If you could have any car in the world, what would you choose? Some might say a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T, or a 2002 R34 Skyline GT-R, or perhaps a 2015 BMW M5. There are so many varieties of automobiles, from sports to luxury. Today’s cars, compared to the first ones sold, are very complex and have astonishing features. From the very first car productions around 1910, to sportier cars in the 1950’s, to today’s speedy and beautiful automobiles, the evolution has just begun. In 1910, Henry Ford produced the Model-T, the first car built from an assembly line and sold in mass production. “It had a 20-horsepower, four-cylinder engine, reached a top speed of about 45 miles per hour, covered 13-21 mpg and weighed 544 kg” (“The evolution of the car”). Now, many of us may think that is a horrible car, but just remember, that was over a century ago. The first Model-T was sold for only $850. There were only gasoline motors, so you had to crank it by hand in order for it to start. Cranking was dangerous, if not done right it could fire back and break your hand. Ouch! In 1912, the electric motor had been invented. Around the 1920’s, front wheel drive, four wheel drive, and brakes for all four wheels had come into the big picture. By the mid 1920’s, closed-roof sedans had become more popular. If you compare the Model-T to a newer car, such as a Ford Fusion, it just shows how sophisticated automobiles have become. Bigger, faster, flashier cars are what the 1950’s brought us. Automotive companies began to experiment with tons of features. “The 1950s saw U.S. auto production exceeded that of Great Britain, France, Japan, Sweden and all other nations put together several times over” ("An Account of 1950s Cars"). Models became wider, longer, and lower, which caused a sportier look. V-8 engines became more common in cars, making them more powerful. Young car enthusiasts began building and customizing automobiles to have high performance, calling them hot rods. Ford had the most popular
0 to 100 Real Quick hot rods because they were inexpensive, and held the powerful V-8 engines. Racing became really common for younger kids, seeing who had the fastest cars. The average cost of a new car in the 1950’s was around $1,510. Since larger engines were being built in these cars, they had more horsepower and higher top speeds than cars in the early 1900’s. Automobiles were becoming more and more advanced as the years passed. High prices and marvelous looks are what all of today’s cars are about. Prices for new vehicles can range anywhere from $14,000 to almost $1,000,000. Car engines can have 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 18, or 20 cylinders, but v6’s are the most common. Touch screen radios, television screens, heated steering wheels, and wine cooler drawers are just a few of the wonderful features today’s cars are equipped with. As the racing scene is still popular, car fanatics are taking it to new measures. Many people with sports cars do aftermarket modifications, like choosing to supercharge or turbocharge their automobile, which will increase performance significantly. The world’s fastest recorded speed is currently 270.49 mph, from a Hennessey Venom GT. At the 2015 North American International Auto Show, held here in Detroit, Mercedes Benz released the concept of their new F015, said to be released by 2026. “Mercedes-Benz 's F015 concept vehicle can be operated by any passenger or driven autonomously” ("Mercedes-Benz unveils connected, self-driving concept car - CNET"). A car that is able to drive without an actual person behind the wheel, tell me that is not the craziest, yet coolest thing you have ever heard about a car. Today’s cars are so sophisticated, everything about them, that they are truly a work of art. Over the past century, automobiles have evolved into great machines. The fact that Mercedes Benz has the concept for a car that does not physically need a driver is mind-blowing. If cars have evolved this far, it is only right to have high expectations of the automotive future. Our hometown of Detroit, Michigan is the automotive capital, Motor City as we call it. We are home to the Big Three, Ford,
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General Motors, and Chrysler, the biggest automakers in the United States and Canada. To learn more about the history and making of cars, you can visit the Henry Ford and take the Ford Rouge Factory Tour. During the tour, you can experience a Ford F-150 truck being manufactured. Today, Cars have become an amazing invention and only time can tell what the automotive future holds for us.
Works Cited
"An Account of 1950’s Cars." An Account of 1950’s Cars. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.
<http://www.anythingaboutcars.com/1950scars.html>.
“Mercedes-Benz Unveils Connected, Self-driving Concept Car – CNET.” CNET. Steven Musil, 5
Jan. 2015. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.cnet.com/news/mercedes-benz-unveils-luxury- concept-self-driving-car/>/. "The Evolution of the Car." The Evolution of the Car. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.
<http://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/142171/The-evolution-of-the car/#vars!panel=1378605!>.
Cited: "An Account of 1950’s Cars." An Account of 1950’s Cars. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.anythingaboutcars.com/1950scars.html>. “Mercedes-Benz Unveils Connected, Self-driving Concept Car – CNET.” CNET. Steven Musil, 5 Jan. 2015. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.cnet.com/news/mercedes-benz-unveils-luxury- concept-self-driving-car/>/. "The Evolution of the Car." The Evolution of the Car. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/142171/The-evolution-of-the car/#vars!panel=1378605!>.
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