Motor Car Evolution

Right back in times immemorable, humans had no alternative other than to carry heavy loads themselves which was not particularly pleasant on the body and both speeds and load handling abilities were severely limited. The only alternative to this was the use of domestic animals such as Horses and Donkeys, which were more often able to carry more heavy loads at a faster pace than humans were able to achieve, with people travelling in comparative comfort.

Theories have existed that sledges and even rounded tree stumps had been used as a basis to transport loads before the invention of the wheel for example; how were the ancient rocks of Stonehenge not only erected on site but how did they get there? Studies have been carried out and the rocks are believed to be native to an area of Wales and some believe they may have been placed on top of cylindrical shaped tree stumps horizontally and pushed!

Fast forward several years and we had wheeled chariots and carts which were obviously able to carry considerably more weight than their predecessors with a drawback being that the wheel needed - and still does - a relatively smooth surface on which to run without getting into ruts and abnormalities in the surface etc. Therefore, as the vehicle has evolved, so have roads.

Initially, steam engines were used to power wheeled vehicles although only a small handful were successful due to weight, low speeds and legislation, however, one successful application was in traction engines which although very slow, noisy and polluting, were able to carry more substantial loads than any road vehicle before it. One of the greatest engineers and evolutionaries of these type of engined vehicles was Cornishman Richard Trevithick 1771-1833, an inventor and mining engineer of whom produced many "steam carriages" several of which were used to assist the mining industry and process in Cornwall amongst other things.

Richard Trevithick