1st power steering

[414TATA]

Curious to know who here has the oldest car with factory power steering.

 

Wayne

1941 Buick 

Super 51

[60FlatTop]

Just on memory, mid 1920's Pierce-Arrow.

Bernie

[padgett]

Remember something about it being invented in the 20s but was patented and none of the majors was willing to pay what the inventor wanted (ALAM fiasco was recent) so waited for the patent to expire.

 

All of my cars have power steering and I am very glad.

 

ps from memory, perhaps someone has more information.

Edited May 19, 2016 by padgett (see edit history)

[Grimy]

Francis W. Davis, a Pierce-Arrow engineer, invented power steering for P-A *trucks* circa 1921 but the company never pursued it or installed it on any of their trucks or cars.  The first *production* use I know of was on 1951 Chrysler V8s.

[Rusty_OToole]

I had a 52 Chrysler New Yorker with power steering. First car with power steering was the 51 Chrysler, mine was identical except for a few trim details.

 

In 1952 you could buy a Chrysler with hemi head V8, auto trans, power steering, power brakes, power windows, tinted glass, padded dash, tubular shock absorbers and air conditioning. No other car had all these features, not Cadillac, Rolls Royce, Mercedes, nobody.

[8E45E]

7 hours ago, Rusty_OToole said:

I had a 52 Chrysler New Yorker with power steering. First car with power steering was the 51 Chrysler, mine was identical except for a few trim details.

 

In 1952 you could buy a Chrysler with hemi head V8, auto trans, power steering, power brakes, power windows, tinted glass, padded dash, tubular shock absorbers and air conditioning. No other car had all these features, not Cadillac, Rolls Royce, Mercedes, nobody.

Could one get a fully automatic transmission on a Chrysler in 1952? Or was it still a Fluid-Drive 'semi'-automatic?

 

I thought 1954 was the first year for a fully automatic transmission from Chrysler.

 

Craig

[PONTIAC1953]

On 5/19/2016 at 7:45 AM, 8E45E said:

Could one get a fully automatic transmission on a Chrysler in 1952? Or was it still a Fluid-Drive 'semi'-automatic?

 

I thought 1954 was the first year for a fully automatic transmission from Chrysler.

 

Craig

cadillac, buick, and oldsmobile all had the power steering option in 1952, pontiac and chevy in 1953. my 1953 pontiac chieftain custom catalina came new with it's factory power steering. cadillac invented it's power steering in the 1920's, chrysler waited until the cadillac patient ran out in 1951.

 

[Rusty_OToole]

Chrysler had power steering in 1951. It was made by Gemmer. The original patents on hydraulic power steering were by an ex Pierce Arrow engineer named Davis. I believe they dated to 1926. A few heavy trucks used power steering in the thirties or so I have heard.

 

Chrysler had Fluid Drive from 1939 with a self shifting "automatic" trans from 1940 or 1941. Torque converter available in 1951. Powerflite automatic from 1954, or  1953 on some models. Imperials got it first.

 

A lot of people think GM invented everything on a car. If so, Chrysler had a funny habit of copying GM's inventions before GM invented them.

Edited May 21, 2016 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history)

[8E45E]

11 hours ago, Rusty_OToole said:

A lot of people think GM invented everything on a car. If so, Chrysler had a funny habit of copying GM's inventions before GM invented them.

GM themselves have very few innovations to their credit, although two big ones, the Hydromatic transmission and the Comfortron fully automatic HVAC are fully theirs. 

Many of the inventions appeared before GM was formed, or before the marque became a GM product; or in later years, others invented it; be it another automaker, or a supplier to the automotive industry.  Often times, its the supplier who invents the idea first, an example being Perfect Circle with their Speedostat who have to 'sell' it the auto industry to see if there any takers.  Chrysler was the first to make it a regular production option.  In Packard's case, it was Dana who came out with the limited slip differential, and Packard was the first to use it in 1956 and Studebaker in 1957.  It was the same situation in Europe in a lot of cases, where it was Triplex Glass in England who invented the common rear defogger we see today on most cars with the thin metal trips that appear as wire on it (Triplex called it 'Hotline'), and sold the idea to British automakers who immediately picked up on it. 

 

Craig

[Guest]

Robert E. Twyford, a resident of Pa. included a mechanical power steering mechanism as part of his patent (U.S. Patent 646,477) issued on April 3, 1900 for the first four-wheel drive system.^[3

[Guest]

1 hour ago, 8E45E said:

GM themselves have very few innovations to their credit, although two big ones, the Hydromatic transmission and the Comfortron fully automatic HVAC are fully theirs. 

Many of the inventions appeared before GM was formed, or before the marque became a GM product; or in later years, others invented it; be it another automaker, or a supplier to the automotive industry.  Often times, its the supplier who invents the idea first, an example being Perfect Circle with their Speedostat who have to 'sell' it the auto industry to see if there any takers.  Chrysler was the first to make it a regular production option.  In Packard's case, it was Dana who came out with the limited slip differential, and Packard was the first to use it in 1956 and Studebaker in 1957.  It was the same situation in Europe in a lot of cases, where it was Triplex Glass in England who invented the common rear defogger we see today on most cars with the thin metal trips that appear as wire on it (Triplex called it 'Hotline'), and sold the idea to British automakers who immediately picked up on it. 

 

Craig

Porsche used a limited slip differentials in VW Beetle command cars and Kubelwagen and schwimmwagen of the late 30's 40's.