Heard on BBC World Service last night - a spokesman from Ford talking about
the new engine, due to be introduced in 2009. Apparently it stops
automatically when the car is staionary, then restarts itself when you
depress the accelerator. Wonderful for fuel consumption, emissions etc.
Quite revolutionary. Except that he then admitted that they had introduced
something similar about five years ago, but it didn't really catch on - "not
seamless enough", whatever that means.

But - I'm quite sure this feature was available on a car in the twenties,
and quite possibly before the First World War. I think it was called
SilentStart, or something like that, but can't remember the manufacturer -
any ideas out there?

Wonder what they will invent next - synchromesh? Four wheel brakes?

Geoff MacK

Geoff Mackenzie ("Geoff Mackenzie" ) gurgled
happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Heard on BBC World Service last night - a spokesman from Ford talking
about the new engine, due to be introduced in 2009. Apparently it stops
automatically when the car is staionary, then restarts itself when you
depress the accelerator. Wonderful for fuel consumption, emissions etc.
Quite revolutionary. Except that he then admitted that they had
introduced something similar about five years ago, but it didn't really
catch on - "not seamless enough", whatever that means.

Nobody bought it.

But - I'm quite sure this feature was available on a car in the
twenties, and quite possibly before the First World War. I think it
was called SilentStart, or something like that, but can't remember the
manufacturer - any ideas out there?

Dunno about that far back, but VW certainly did it in the '80s, didn't
they? Citroen have been doing it as "Stop-Start" for about five years,
BMW are doing it on the new Mini, and that's before you go near the
various Hybrids.

Wonder what they will invent next - synchromesh? Four wheel brakes?

Indeed...

Heard on BBC World Service last night - a spokesman from Ford talking
about
the new engine, due to be introduced in 2009. Apparently it stops
automatically when the car is staionary, then restarts itself when you
depress the accelerator. Wonderful for fuel consumption, emissions etc.
Quite revolutionary. Except that he then admitted that they had
introduced something similar about five years ago, but it didn't really
catch on - "not seamless enough", whatever that means.

But - I'm quite sure this feature was available on a car in the twenties,
and quite possibly before the First World War. I think it was called
SilentStart, or something like that, but can't remember the manufacturer -
any ideas out there?

Wonder what they will invent next - synchromesh? Four wheel brakes?

Geoff MacK

I'm not sure about before the World war I as then starter motors were not
that common.

Rover and I think others had the Lucas Startix system in the late 30s that
did the same thing. It wasn't a great success and I think most people
disabled it.

Malcolm

Adrian wrote:

Dunno about that far back, but VW certainly did it in the '80s, didn't
they? Citroen have been doing it as "Stop-Start" for about five years,
BMW are doing it on the new Mini, and that's before you go near the
various Hybrids.

VAG did it in the 80s (my dad's Audi 80 - a 1980 one - had it), ISTR you
had a button to enable the system, coming to a halt and doing
/something/ make the engine stop, then pressing brake and clutch and
again, doing /something/ with the gearlever in Neutral made it restart.

Then they remarketed it in the 90s as part of the Golf Umwelt.

And now it's showing up in their Bluewhatsit diesel models.

*shrugs* I hear that some companies messed around with FWD pre-war, but
people like to credit things like the Mini with it...

RichardK

"Richard Kilpatrick" wrote in message
...
Adrian wrote:

Dunno about that far back, but VW certainly did it in the '80s, didn't
they? Citroen have been doing it as "Stop-Start" for about five years,
BMW are doing it on the new Mini, and that's before you go near the
various Hybrids.

VAG did it in the 80s (my dad's Audi 80 - a 1980 one - had it), ISTR you
had a button to enable the system, coming to a halt and doing /something/
make the engine stop, then pressing brake and clutch and again, doing
/something/ with the gearlever in Neutral made it restart.

Then they remarketed it in the 90s as part of the Golf Umwelt.

And now it's showing up in their Bluewhatsit diesel models.

*shrugs* I hear that some companies messed around with FWD pre-war, but
people like to credit things like the Mini with it...

Claimed to be the first FWD with transverse packaging - but the 1949 Saab
92 had a transverse mounted engine...

In article ,
Richard Kilpatrick wrote:
*shrugs* I hear that some companies messed around with FWD pre-war, but
people like to credit things like the Mini with it...

Well Citroen were making FWD cars in the UK long before the Mini appeared.
Could be the Mini was the first in class to use it. Before it most ultra
small cars were rear engined.

--
*What am I? Flypaper for freaks!?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
Richard Kilpatrick wrote:
*shrugs* I hear that some companies messed around with FWD pre-war, but
people like to credit things like the Mini with it...

Well Citroen were making FWD cars in the UK long before the Mini appeared.
Could be the Mini was the first in class to use it. Before it most ultra
small cars were rear engined.

A good link with history of front wheel drive is at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front-wheel_drive

"Geoff Mackenzie" wrote in message
...

Wonder what they will invent next - synchromesh? Four wheel brakes?


I'm sure I read somewhere that the small BMW petrol engine used in the
latest Minis and Peugeot 207s doesn't have a throttle valve but instead uses
variable valve timing and lift to achieve the same effect.

Just like the 1904 Darracq....

Ron Robinson

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Richard Kilpatrick wrote:
*shrugs* I hear that some companies messed around with FWD pre-war, but
people like to credit things like the Mini with it...

Well Citroen were making FWD cars in the UK long before the Mini appeared.

Citroen Traction Avant. 1934 was the first FWD car AFAIK.
Mike.

In article ,
Mike G wrote:

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Richard Kilpatrick wrote:
*shrugs* I hear that some companies messed around with FWD pre-war,
but people like to credit things like the Mini with it...

Well Citroen were making FWD cars in the UK long before the Mini
appeared.

Citroen Traction Avant. 1934 was the first FWD car AFAIK.
Mike.

My Boys Book of Cars says Alvis. ;-)

--
*Why is it that to stop Windows 95, you have to click on "Start"?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.