Going Vertical
THERE’S no denying that technology is advancing exponentially and going vertical. Every week, it seems that there’s a scientific breakthrough somewhere, especially in transportation. Our much-loved motor vehicles have been around for 136 years and have grown out of the seed planted by the world’s first gas-powered car: the Benz, patented in 1886. Since then, five thousand makes of cars had been planned in the USA. At least 1500 organisations had actually started work on one. But by 1920, there were only 120, and 20 years later, in 1940, there were only 11 left. (in the USA)
The invention of the computer has seen the automobile make gigantic strides in performance, economy and safety. Our technological advances are astounding; even in my lifetime, we’ve come from inefficient, carburetted sidevalve engines to
