The automobile was pretty well defined over 140 years ago. The most successful examples were four-wheeled, pneumatic-tyred, petrol-fuelled, internal combustion-engined, multi-speed transmission and differential-driven, steering wheel-controlled vehicles. External combustion engines (steam) and electrical propulsion had not yet been discarded, at least for the time being in the case of electric, and shaft drive had not yet replaced chains.
The First World War moved the development of the petrol piston engine forward, and the importance of streamlining to reduce drag was recognised. Circuits became the place to race these automobiles against each other, rather than the open road, to demonstrate the benefits of each concept and configuration.
Competition then became less about proving concepts and more about demonstrating the ability of automobile companies, and indeed countries. Mercedes-Benz came out best, and has continued to play this game successfully at regular intervals since. Individual inventors, designers and engineers were less important than the overall strength of a racing department. The Second World War moved powertrain design on again, and culminated in the massive and powerful turbo-compound, multi-piston engines, such as the Napier Nomad and Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone, before the turbojet swept them aside.
Exciting work
The metallurgy, lightweight design and fuel chemistry advances all carried across to the automobile, especially for racing. The war also generated many skilled engineers with little to do, once peace broke out, that was as exciting as the urgency of war work.
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