Tuesday I was working at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum. I met with the curator as he had found a book in the archives from 1968 titled "What is a McFarlan". The book is one of 1000 printed. Not a large book, but I learned some items that I found fascinating. For example in 1917 McFarlan introduced a new option.....heated steering wheel. Then in 1918 they offered an air suspension system built by Westinghouse. And in 1925 all models had 4 wheel hydraulic brakes...(not just Duesenberg).
How really new are some items on cars?

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Current:
1985 300D aka Miss Margaret
1991 300SE aka Alarice
1995 SL320 aka Samantha
1997 K1500 Silverado
Past:
1999 E300 ex-wife got it and let her son ruin it
1984 190 2.3 ex-wife got it and let her son destroy a great car
1985 300D (CA version) aka Maybelline lost to deer at high speed.
1981 300D aka Madeline (went to salvage at near 400k) rusty, yet best car I ever drove
Wishlist:
McFarlan TV6 (only a few privately owned)
ReVere with Rochester engine
1917 Premier (only one left)

Most often times features are not new at all, they are just rediscovered or where not very popular at the time and make a comeback decades later.

Case in point, the Citroen DS

James May Talks about Citroen DS - YouTube

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xh0yl9_citroen-ds-at-top-gear_auto

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1982 300GD Carmine Red (DB3535) Cabriolet Parting Out
1990 300SEL Smoke Silver (Parting out)
1991 350SDL Blackberry Metallic (481)

"The thing is Bob, its not that I'm lazy...its that I just don't care."

Nate,

It's quite common for innovations to show up on the high end cars, but not enjoy wide spread acceptance for a long time.

Today's bottom of the line cars are chocked full of such things. Everything from disc brakes, to fuel injection, to overhead and dual overhead cam, and on and on.

As technology and competition march along, innovations come with it.

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2001 SLK 320 six speed manual
2014 Porsche Cayenne six speed manual

Annoy a Liberal, Read the Constitution

Pretty sure DVD players and iPod docks are new....

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On some nights I still believe that a car with the fuel gauge on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. - HST

1983 300SD - 305000
1984 Toyota Landcruiser - 190000
1994 GMC Jimmy - 203000

https://media.giphy.com/media/X3nnss8PAj5aU/giphy.gif

The longer I work at the museum the most I am impressed at the technology and ideas that came from Indiana auto makers from about 1910-1930. Many of theses makes were far from the 'mainstream' due to their cost. Some were intended as luxury cars and others more basic, yet advanced. As an individual example I am very impressed with the 1916 Premier at the museum which has an all aluminum block and head, over head valves with exhaust and intake on opposite sides, electrical shift manual transmission, and an aluminum body with many tight curves in the back. The construction of the body had to be a labor of love.

__________________
Current:
1985 300D aka Miss Margaret
1991 300SE aka Alarice
1995 SL320 aka Samantha
1997 K1500 Silverado
Past:
1999 E300 ex-wife got it and let her son ruin it
1984 190 2.3 ex-wife got it and let her son destroy a great car
1985 300D (CA version) aka Maybelline lost to deer at high speed.
1981 300D aka Madeline (went to salvage at near 400k) rusty, yet best car I ever drove
Wishlist:
McFarlan TV6 (only a few privately owned)
ReVere with Rochester engine
1917 Premier (only one left)

When I was a kid I read one of my dad's old books called "Automobile Construction and Repair", published 1918. I was surprised to find mention of roller cam followers, fuel injection, and four wheel drive, among other things.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 401,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 26,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.
99 Mazda Miata 183,xxx miles.

GM's magnetic shock system which everyone is starting to use, carbon ceramic brakes, night vision, radar guided cruise control, automatic climate control, good AWD, good 7 and 8 speed transmissions, good traction control, 3d Google based sat nav which is fantastic in the new Audi's, GM's heads up display, soft close doors, Wi fi hot spot inside the car, air bags...I can go on.


Pagani's carbo-titanium weave is pretty advanced, I don't think they had the ability to do that in the 1920's.

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2006 CL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2026 Genesis GV70
2007 Tiara 3200