Steering wheel
A steering wheel is a circular object used by the driver of a car or boat to change the direction it is moving.[1]
The earliest known use of a steering wheel can be traced back to 1894 when Alfred Vacheron used one on his custom four-horsepower Panhard to participate in the Paris-Rouen race. That race in France in 1894 is one of the earliest known instances of a wheel-shaped device being used to steer a car.
In 1898 the French manufacturer introduced a steering wheel in all its models. Other manufacturers followed suit – and the steering wheel became a set part of automotive design. Early on, carmakers also began installing bulb horns on steering wheels, for as traffic increased, it became necessary to warn other drivers as well as pedestrians and cyclists.[2]
For about two decades thereafter, steering wheels were incredibly simple: wooden circles directly connected to the wheel axis. They served no other task and could be extremely hard to turn, especially at low speeds or when stationary. Though power steering patents were circulating as early as the steering wheel itself, it was quite a long time before these systems were used. In the 1920s, an engineer named Francis W. Davis wanted to make truck driving a little easier and invented the first power steering system to be fitted into a vehicle, which was inspired by earlier work on power steering systems used in ships.[3]
In the 1950s it became popular to line steering wheels with real or artificial leather, which gave drivers a better grip.
Steering Wheel Media
Passenger car steering wheels from different periods
Steering wheel and front wheels of a farm tractor
Steering wheel in a VDL Bova bus
Steering wheel in a Mercedes-Benz
1913 Ford Model T Speedster with rigid steering column and four-spoke wooden steering wheel
1974 Citroën DS single spoke safety steering wheel
Adjustable three-spoke steering wheel on a collapsible column in an AMC Matador from the 1970s
A RHD mounted wheel with airbag, as well as audio and cruise control buttons
1958 Plymouth Savoy showing two-spoke steering wheel with horn ring, and aftermarket brodie knob, or steering wheel spinner
Cheerful steering wheel cover on a two-spoke Volkswagen Beetle steering wheel
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References
- ↑ Hyden, Stephen (2016-11-29). "Early History of the Steering Wheel". DriveTribe. Archived from the original on 2021-11-14. Retrieved 2021-11-14.
- ↑ Patrascu, Daniel (2010-05-05). "History of the Steering Wheel". autoevolution. Retrieved 2021-11-14.
- ↑ "Episode 2 - The evolution of the steering wheel through the advent of autonomous driving". www.mercedes-benz.com. Archived from the original on 2021-11-14. Retrieved 2021-11-14.
