
Happy birthday, car!
In Carl Saganâ"œÃ¶Ã¢"œÃ§Ã¢"œÃ»s book The Blue Dot, aliens arrive on Earth and then mistake the automobile for the most important â"œÃ¶Ã¢"œÃ§Ã¢"¬Ãƒºlife formâ"œÃ¶Ã¢"œÃ§Ã¢"œÃ¿ on the planet. Itâ"œÃ¶Ã¢"œÃ§Ã¢"œÃ»s pure science fiction, of course, but one could sympathise with the fictional slip-up because the car has become omnipresent and an integral part of our lives. To uninitiated visitors from outer space it could easily appear as if humans are simply support staff that accompany, fill up and service, wash and polish their metal masters.
The machine that changed the world â"œÃ¶Ã¢"œÃ§Ã¢"ω"¤ and in many ways is still changing it â"œÃ¶Ã¢"œÃ§Ã¢"ω"¤ turns 125 years old this year, and though it faces a challenging future, is likely to become even more â"œÃ¶Ã¢"œÃ§Ã¢"¬Ãƒºconnectedâ"œÃ¶Ã¢"œÃ§Ã¢"œÃ¿ to us in future. More of than in next monthâ"œÃ¶Ã¢"œÃ§Ã¢"œÃ»s magazineâ"œÃ¶Ã¢"œÃ§Ã¢"¬Ã‚¬
But back to the beginning. The car had a troubled birth. Even the man who is often considered the father of the automobile, Karl Benz, had just about given up. If it wasnâ"œÃ¶Ã¢"œÃ§Ã¢"œÃ»t for his strong-willed wife, Bertha, who commandeered a prototype without his knowledge in 1888 and set out on a road trip to prove the machineâ"œÃ¶Ã¢"œÃ§Ã¢"œÃ»s worth, old Karl could have thrown in the towel and weâ"œÃ¶Ã¢"œÃ§Ã¢"œÃ»d still be on horseback.
At this yearâ"œÃ¶Ã¢"œÃ§Ã¢"œÃ»s Frankfurt Motor Show, 125 years after the 1886 Benz first emerged, Mercedes-Benz not only celebrated the past, but also introduced a brave new car that suggests how the next chapter in the story of the automobile may unfold. Have a look at it, and other futuristic concepts, from page 14.
But which are the cars that had the biggest impact during the past 125 years? Itâ"œÃ¶Ã¢"œÃ§Ã¢"œÃ»s an interesting question and one that I just simply had to ask our retired technical editor, Jake Venter, to answer. In the first of five such features, each detailing 25 cars, Jake identifies at the machines that had the biggest engineering influence on the automobile (see page 48). The series will continue until we have Jakeâ"œÃ¶Ã¢"œÃ§Ã¢"œÃ»s complete list of the 125 Most Influential Car Designs of the first 125 years of the car. Now, hereâ"œÃ¶Ã¢"œÃ§Ã¢"œÃ»s to the next 125â"œÃ¶Ã¢"œÃ§Ã¢"¬Ã‚¬ Consider the â"œÃ¶Ã¢"œÃ§Ã¢"¬Ãƒºepicâ"œÃ¶Ã¢"œÃ§Ã¢"œÃ¿ new BMW M5, featured on page 34, in what light will the automotive world consider the fifth incarnation of BMW seminal sports saloon in more than a centuryâ"œÃ¶Ã¢"œÃ§Ã¢"œÃ»s time? I wonder.
Stay in touch by following me on Twitter (@HannesO_CARmag).