biggest decade for auto advances?

[jeffgoddin]

Just wondering what people think the most significant decade was for advances in auto tech which led to the biggest increases in performance.

From my GT experience I'd have to say the 80's. Started out feeling kind of 70's, which is to say practically 60's, and ended up giving us the R32 Skyline, which can still compete with the best modern cars.

Probably geo-political reasons for this, namely the oil crisis which stalled development thru the 70's.

Looking back further though it could be the 50's or 60's. What's your argument?

 

[homeforsummer]

Erm, save for the 1880s that gave us the car in the first place and was therefore fairly significant in itself, I'd actually have to say something like the 1900-1910 or 1910-1920 period, since in that time cars went from barely being able to move under their own power and be well beyond the reach of the vast majority, to vehicles that tens of thousands of people could not only afford, but drive as a suitable means of primary transport. And plenty of them available too, after Henry Ford pioneered mass production.

It also gave us the first motor racing and the advances in technology that required, where like today the first racing cars were significantly more high-tech than their road counterparts.

And again, technology wise - we went from various methods of driving the car to a control layout we still use today - such as the pedal layout. And electric lighting on cars, which is also rather important.

 

[Cano]

Erm, save for the 1880s that gave us the car in the first place and was therefore fairly significant in itself, I'd actually have to say something like the 1900-1910 or 1910-1920 period, since in that time cars went from barely being able to move under their own power and be well beyond the reach of the vast majority, to vehicles that tens of thousands of people could not only afford, but drive as a suitable means of primary transport. And plenty of them available too, after Henry Ford pioneered mass production.

It also gave us the first motor racing and the advances in technology that required, where like today the first racing cars were significantly more high-tech than their road counterparts.

And again, technology wise - we went from various methods of driving the car to a control layout we still use today - such as the pedal layout. And electric lighting on cars, which is also rather important.

I agree with this, but I'd put it in mid-decade terms, from 1915 to 1925. The Automovile made GIANT leaps in those days.

 

[AlexGTV]

Even an expert in the field will have trouble allocating the most significant decade for the biggest advances.
I suppose it would be the early parts of the last century. You had the four main types of engine (4-stroke, 2-stroke, Wankel, Diesel), innovation in hydraulics, efficiency of performance and production, electric motors, the beginning of motorsports etc.

 

[YSSMAN]

I get the feeling that finding a decade, on the whole, would be quite difficult. When I try to think about it, I feel like that each auto producing region has had a specific time span where they had the most growth technologically and stylistically that brought them to where they are today. Something like...

- United States: I would go for the '60s, despite the massive advancements in technology and styling in the '50s. The '60s brought on some impressive performance advancements, and they began to pioneer strange engineering projects that eventually revolutionized the industry. The Oldsmobile Toronado comes to mind, as well as the Ford Mustang and the Chevrolet Corvair.

- United Kingdom: I'd would venture a guess and say the immediate post-war period, about 1947-1957 (give/take a bit). These cars had a massive influence on the way in which the rest of the world built their sports cars, standard saloons, and so on. Triumphs, Jaguars, the eventual Lotus effort in F1 and the Seven itself.

- France: The the mid '60s and mid '70s were probably the best time for French vehicles. Cars like the DS and CX, really are it for me. Now that I think about it, I really only think of the "good" French cars as Citroens. Peugot really didn't show up in my mind until the '80s, and I don't think Renault has been all too influential until the 2000's.

- Germany: I would say the '80s were the time for the huge advancements for the Germans. That is not to say that they have ever really had a "bad" decade that I can think of, but it is the one I most associate with the explosion of BMW, Mecedes and Audi on the international scale.

- Japan: See Germany. Honda, Toyota and Datusn/Nissan had been around for quite a long time, but it really was not until the '80s that they became household names, and replacements for the "standard" regional vehicles across the world.

- Italy: I'd just say the '70s. Cocaine and money = Crazy stuff.

 

[homeforsummer]

- France: The the mid '60s and mid '70s were probably the best time for French vehicles. Cars like the DS and CX, really are it for me. Now that I think about it, I really only think of the "good" French cars as Citroens. Peugot really didn't show up in my mind until the '80s, and I don't think Renault has been all too influential until the 2000's.

Heh. Not quite. As well as being the first maker ever to win a Grand Prix, they out-2CV'd the 2CV with the Renault 4 (a better car in virtually every way according to pretty much anyone except 2CV owners), out 911'd the 911 with the Alpine A610 (/Renault GTA - the only trouble with that car was that the Renault badge didn't have the kudos of a Porsche); one of the first hatchbacks with the Renault 5 (or Renault Le Car as older U.S. members here might remember it as) and we barely need to mention the epic Renault 5 Turbo models, both mid and front-engined. First maker to kick off the MPV craze in Europe and the compact MPV craze with the Scenic, one of the best ever hot hatchbacks with the Clio Williams, one of the most mental with the Clio V6...

 

[Joker-GTBR]

The 1910-20 time span.

 

[fbccars924]

90's, Saftey systems such as tcs and asm(generic terms bear with me) were introduced to "common" cars also some of our most gorgeous and powerfull everyday cars were introdruced and updated.

 

[YSSMAN]

Heh. Not quite.

As an American, I typically associate Renault with the LeCar, and then I jump two decades ahead to the current Renaultsport rides. It is the narrowest of perceptions, but that's what happens when a car company essentially disappears from American eyes for so long.

Good for you, Renault!

 

[BrutherSuperior]

The biggest advances in automobiles, in my opinion anyway, can't really be seen on a showroom floor.

Programs such as FEA, CAD, CFD have moved in leaps and bounds in the past decade along with smaller & faster computers. Couple this with advances in metallurgy, tire compounds, and JIT manufacturing; and we're getting some awesome cars today.

A 2007 Toyota Camry is as beige and boring as you can get, right? It's faster than a BMW M1 down a 1/4mi.

Think. About. That. For. A. Moment.

If you search YouTube you'll can find an auto-X race between a Dodge Daytona (might have been a Superbird) and a Honda mini-van full of busty women...the minivan won. Cars today can be had with 100,000 mile powertrain warranties, 5yr maintenance plans, and 10yr rust guarantees.

No way that happens 20 years ago...hell...not even 15. Things really started to take off in the 90's...just like home computers. In the new millennium, engineers were starting to come to grasp with CFD which yielded more powerful engines and slippery cars. And today, you can go to a used car dealership and buy a 100,000+ mile Japanese appliance and have a quicker and more reliable car than a Lambo Countach.

While this may not qualify as a 'leap' in automotive tech by most people's standards, but from an engineering perspective; CFD, FEA, and CAD is like comparing nuclear fission to rubbing 2 sticks together.