Cool Old Press Photo: Mercury's 1957 Version of Air Ride

[min301]

Re: Cool Old Press Photo: Mercury's 1957 Version of Air Ride

With the aid of modern computers they've just been able to simplify designs that were shelved for years due to complexity.

Bingo. I'm even more amazed by what they made work with out computer controls, and in many cases electronics. Mechanical and vacuum operated soleniods, or big DC motors at best to achieve the function they wanted.

Reminds me of watching the original Star Trek, they had ideas, some are now easily practical (touch screens, small communicators, etc), while others just might be a technological leap away from being reality as well.

And even then...
Warp drive engines in the show were comprised of
matter, and anti-matter inection.

Recently, scientists have theorized that anti-matter exists.
Ion engines, shields, lazer technology.
Won't be long.

[TheSilverBuick]

Re: Cool Old Press Photo: Mercury's 1957 Version of Air Ride

With the aid of modern computers they've just been able to simplify designs that were shelved for years due to complexity.

Bingo. I'm even more amazed by what they made work with out computer controls, and in many cases electronics. Mechanical and vacuum operated soleniods, or big DC motors at best to achieve the function they wanted.

Reminds me of watching the original Star Trek, they had ideas, some are now easily practical (touch screens, small communicators, etc), while others just might be a technological leap away from being reality as well.

[jordanmorningstar]

Re: Cool Old Press Photo: Mercury's 1957 Version of Air Ride

I tell ya, I'm never amazed with stuff like this it seems (to be honest) that the industry hasn't really produced
that many innovations in the past couple decades.

With the aid of modern computers they've just been able to simplify designs that were shelved for years due to complexity.

Chris

A couple years ago, an old guy told my father "when I bought a Model T, brand-new, it got 25 mpg. When I bought my new Ford car last year, it got 25 mpg. Where's the innovation?"

[CM325]

Re: Cool Old Press Photo: Mercury's 1957 Version of Air Ride

I tell ya, I'm never amazed with stuff like this it seems (to be honest) that the industry hasn't really produced
that many innovations in the past couple decades.

With the aid of modern computers they've just been able to simplify designs that were shelved for years due to complexity.

Chris

[SuperBuickGuy]

Re: Cool Old Press Photo: Mercury's 1957 Version of Air Ride

I'm practicing e-grand theft, but here's something I found on the 'net

"Air suspension, which Lincoln ballyhooed for some models in 1984 was introduced in 1909 by the Cowey Motor Works of Great Britain. It did not work well because it leaked.

The first practical air suspension was developed by Firestone in 1933 for an experimental car called the Stout-Scarab. This was a rear-engined vehicle that used four rubberized bellows in place of conventional springs. Air was supplied by small compressors attached to each bellow. As you might imagine, the air bag suspension was an expensive setup -- still is, in fact." http://www.motorera.com/history/hist08.htm

[cjforumadmin]

http://www.bangshift.com/blog/Cool-Old-Press-Photo-Mercury-s-1957-Version-of-Air-Ride.html