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As the 1980s dawned, the world was still reeling from the 1979 Oil Crisis. Pretty soon, Iran and Iraq were fighting a war that lasted almost the decade (1980-88). The slack in oil supply from Iran and Iraq was taken up by other OPEC members, notably Saudi Arabia. The petro-dollars enabled the GCC members toContinue reading “The 1980s: the decade of excess and greed”

After the euphoria of the Swinging ’60s continued into early ’70s, the world was in for a rude awakening. The Arab Oil Embargo of late 1973, EPA (Environment Protection Agency of USA), NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of USA), all seemed to be ganging up on automobiles. The Oil Embargo caused fuel shortages andContinue reading “1970s: the hangover from Swinging ’60s”

Motoring entered an era of glitz and glamour on both sides of Atlantic Ocean in the heady 1960s, while Japan was emerging as a car making nation with a serious intent. With frugality relegated to the past, American cars had some of the largest and most powerful engines anywhere, while sports cars from Alfa Romeo,Continue reading “1960s: era of glitz and glamour”

Europe was devastated in the World War and was divided between Eastern and Western blocs. Eastern part of Germany and area to East of it were taken over by Russian Federation; the Western part of Germany was divided amongst British, French and American forces. America launched Marshall Plan in 1948 to provide funds for reconstructionContinue reading “1950s in Europe: the decade of reconstruction”

Europe was ruined in the Second World War, but America was a powerhouse. There were only a few attacks on the American soil by the Japanese and the Axis forces, so it was able to churn out war material (tanks, aeroplanes, ships) to support Allied armies. After the war ended, US industries were robust, peopleContinue reading “1950s in USA: decade of style and annual model changes”

In today’s marketing led world, “image” is all. People use non-verbal cues to show their achievements and status, hence the need for bigger, fancier houses in expensive locales; expensive watches and jewelry; designer clothes and shoes; yachts and personal jets; and rare, high performance, costly cars from prestigious brands. Houses, watches, jewelry, clothing, shoes, yachtsContinue reading “Status symbols”

During the two world wars, engines helped the warring nations to develop technology faster and invent new weapons. One of the new weapons was code named a “tank” during development so enemies think of a water storage vessel, but it actually was an armored mobile gun rolling on tracks, therefore able to traverse all terrain,Continue reading “World War I and II”

The main fuel for engines was petrol, but being volatile, it could catch fire easily. Another German engineer, Rudolf Diesel, perfected the “Diesel” engine which used heavier and less volatile fuel and needed no spark plugs for ignition. Diesel engines are used in heavy transport (trucks, buses, ships etc) as well as modern cars. OnceContinue reading “Proliferation”

Motoring started from Germany when, in 1886, Karl Benz demonstrated a working prototype of his “motorcar”. Pretty soon, other European nations joined the race to build “automobiles” which is French expression for “self-propelled” to distinguish these vehicles from horse-drawn carriages. Across the Atlantic Ocean, Americans also started their ventures in 1890s. Ransom Eli Olds andContinue reading “In the beginning”

HISTORY OF AUTOMOBILE: The automobile was first invented and perfected in Germany and France in the late 1800s, though Americans quickly came to dominate the automotive industry in the first half of the twentieth century. Henry Ford innovated mass-production techniques that became standard, and Ford, General Motors and Chrysler emerged as the “Big Three” autoContinue reading “HISTORY OF AUTOMOBILES”