Result Of The Automobile example essay topic

The automobile, much like the T.V., was something everyone once dreamed of owning, and thanks to the post-war economic boom of the Fifties everyone could. Unlike the automobiles of the Forties, which showed a utilitarian, military influenced design, the automobiles of the Fifties spoke of a much more progressive style. This essay will speak about the design influences that made the automobile a much more attractive purchase, as well as the effects that an automobile driven society has had on our lives since. The event that arguably had the single greatest influence on the evolution of the automobile took place on October 14, 1947.

It was on this day, in the skies over Victorville, CA, that Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier. From this point on the car consuming public wanted nothing but speed and style. Cars with bigger engines and improved aerodynamics were the featured attraction at the GM sponsored Motor ama in 1949. This was an exhibition of the new ideas and new technologies that would be brought to bear on the car market. Four years later, what could be argued (by me) to be the most monumental achievement of Western Civilization was released. For it was on June 30, 1953 at the assembly plant in Flint, Michigan that the first Corvette was rolled off the assembly line.

Everyone of these American legends featured a white paint job with red interior, all fiberglass body, and a chrome grille. The first incarnation of this vehicle had no side windows or exterior door handles. This evolution in auto-design is something we bear witness to everyday as we drive the streets of South Florida, however there were several design influences of the era that have not made it into the working vocabulary of auto designers today. The most remarkable of these would be the fins that were a staple of every Cadillac of the era. Reminiscent of the dorsal fin of an airplane, this is something we do not see much of today.

Some concept designs of the day did make it into the history books however, such as the 1955 Lincoln Futura. A concept car with a standard bubble-top and 300 horsepower V-8, this design was sold several years later to a customizer in California, who turned it into the first ever Batmobile. These concept cars were designed with the intent of testing out radical design ideas on the public to see if they would work on a mass-produced scale. Needless to say many of the features of the day (such as dual-cockpits, or joystick controls, as was the case with 1950 Firebird from GM) didn't appeal to the mass market and were forever lost on the cutting room floor.

The sheer popularity of the automobile in the 1950's led to many changes in the landscape of America. The focus on comfort and convenience in your vehicle during the 1950's led to many more people taking the ever-popular roadtrip. This was made practical as we started construction of our National Highway System in 1956. The increase in the number of people on the road led to the start of today's motel industry. These offered a cheap, clean place to spend the night and soon began to outpace the small mom and pop bed and breakfasts of the 30's and 40's. The "road trippers" wanted not just accomodations that catered to them, they wanted food as well.

The decline of the diner, and the proliferation of fast-food chains and drive-thru windows (as well as ill-hyphenated words) can probably be traced back to this desire of the consumer of the day. In addition still to the motels, fast-food chains, and roads that were built to accomodate the motorist, gas stations sprung up everywhere. Unlike the gas stations of today, the majority of these were full-service establishment's, once again catering to the motorist, and making them feel as comfortable as possible in their vehicle. The changes that have resulted in America, and in so much as we are a global role model, the world, as a result of the proliferation of automobiles haven't all been good. As a matter of fact, other than the convenience factor of having the means to quickly get from point A to point B very little good has come as the result of the automobile. I don't mean to downplay the importance of quick and convenient travel, it has led to the type of fast paced economy that America enjoys today.

However we now suffer from a great dependence on automobiles and therefore on gasoline for them. A natural resource with a limited supply, the majority of which is controlled by the none too altruistic countries of the Middle East. Sure we also have great reserves of oil that will power our vehicles for years to come, but true independance from oil and gasoline means finding an alternative energy source. Something the R & D teams of today are only beginning to truly consider.

As much as the automobile industry has brought to us, in the end they have only served to help us to further pollute the planet that we call home.