Aug 29, 2007 -
In Search Of...
On July 7th of this year the results of a worldwide vote were released to reveal a list of the New Seven Wonders of the World. While I’m not certain that the original seven wonders were no longer interesting, all but one of them no longer exist so I suppose a new list was inevitable.
The new seven wonders selection has spawned a movement in many areas and by many interest groups to find their own version of the seven wonders, as evidenced by the Seven Wonders of Idaho (they forgot the StickMop), and from my neck of the woods, the Seven Wonders of Centre County, PA.
Not wanting to be left out, today’s entry marks the official start of my quest to find the Seven Wonders of the Automotive World.
In a newspaper interview in 1895, Thomas Edison said, "The horseless carriage is the coming wonder… It is only a question of a short time when the carriages and trucks in every large city will be run with motors." How right he was.
The original Seven Wonders were a celebration of religion, mythology, art, power, and science. They reflected the ability of humans to change the surrounding landscape by building massive yet beautiful structures. The criteria for choosing the automotive wonders will take an alternate route.
Our wonders can be any of the people, places or things that have had a lasting impact on the automotive world. They may be recent developments, or candidates from the infancy of the horseless carriage. I’m tempted to include those that have had a less than positive impact, but since we don’t want to go through the entire list of Pontiac Aztek jokes, I prefer to stay focused on the great leaps forward.
In no particular order, I submit for your approval…
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway – built in 1909 as a year-round testing facility for the fast-growing automobile industry in Indiana, the massive facility is impressive to this day. If you haven’t visited, you ought to.
Enzo Ferrari – Is there one word that conjures up visions of racing and exotic cars more than Ferrari?
Henry Ford – The assembly line, the River Rouge plant. I might have been able to pick seven items from Ford alone
The Automatic Transmission – Enabled the masses (well, most of them) to be able to easily drive a car. I still prefer a manual myself, but without the slushbox, we might be up to our eyeballs in bicycles.
The VW Beetle – Literally the people’s car, it was definitely one of the precursors to the influx of small economical cars that cover our roads (or at least fill in the gaps between the SUVs) today.
Internal Combustion Engine – The Stanley Steamer aside, would we even be having this discussion without the thing that makes a motorcar a motorcar?
Edmunds.com – Now I know what you’re thinking, but look at the way people get information on their cars now. The information in magazines is dated by the time it reaches the newsstand and isn’t interactive. The information on Edmunds is current and dynamic, and we all have a hand in creating that content. So in a sense, we are one of the wonders of the automotive world!
Your comments are certainly welcome below, but if you want a little more back-and-forth discussion, try the Seven Automotive Wonders discussion in the forums.
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