In
Germany 1891, the world's first 4-wheeled car was designed
and put on the road by Karl Benz. It was easily the
greatest invention of the century if not among the most
consequential of all time, ranking with the invention
of the wheel, the Gutenberg printing press and penicillin.
But the engine propelled 4-wheeler didn't gain traction
until America's Henry Ford got into the business in
the early 20th century with his ground breaking Model
T Ford.
In
the same decade, to better efficienciate the delivery
of produce in bulk to an exact address, Daimler designed
the world's first truck (1896). Both automobile and
truck were revolutionary inventions that represented
an exponential advancement over animal drawn transport.
Even though the first steam locomotive hit the tracks
as far back as 1804, its reach was restricted to where
track could be laid. Compared with especially dirt or
gravel roads, track construction is significantly more
costly and labour intensive, on top of which are the
complications of laying rail where inner city spaces
are crowded with buildings, roads and sidewalks. Thus
neither trains, trams nor trolleys, which began to appear
in the inner cities in the 1930s, could compete with
the automobile's range, versatility, compactness and
affordability.
It
came as no surprise that shortly after its appearance,
the automobile quickly became the transport of choice
as it concerned (1) getting to and from work, (2) becoming
the means to supply the family home with its basic necessities,
and (3) shrinking the travel time required for leisure
activities such as sightseeing in the country, an outing
to the lake, or visiting family and friends.
Recognizing
the automobile's potential as a home-away-from-home,
the first motor home was put on the road in 1910. Its
debut was predictably inauspicious since it was nothing
more than a cart whose seats could be folded into a
bed. Because of safety concerns and the cost of production,
the motor home craze wouldn't begin until the 1950s
with the installation of small kitchens, folding beds
and sofas, and bathroom-shower.
The
first stretch limousine appeared in 1928. Drawing on
the comforts of home for its inspiration, the sizable
partition behind the front seat of the modern limo resembles
a leg-friendly kitchen-living room combination, with
facing sofas, coffee table and easy access to a mini-bar/pantry
and digital devices.
We
North Americans spend on average an hour of every day
in our automobiles. That's a significantly longer time
most ‘men’ spend in their bathrooms. And with the popularity
of ready-made supermarket meals and the ordering-out
option a mere click or call away, a significant number
of us spend more time in our cars than our kitchens.
With few exceptions, the car, after the home, ranks
as the second most important life expense.
Given
its remarkable development over such a short period
of time and our hard-wired dependence on it, the automobile,
if only implicitly, has come to be regarded as the mobile
or detachable unit of the home since it features many
of the latter's amenities.
The
first car radio appeared in 1930 at a cost of $130 ($2,500
in today's money). The first enclosed cars began to
appear in the mid-1930s. Like the home, cars feature
windows to the outside world and internal heating. The
1939 Packard was the first automobile to offer air conditioning.
Borrowing from the kitchen shelf, modern cars feature
made-to-measure plastic holders that accommodate cups
and bottles, and door-side slots for maps, shopping
bags and snacks; in the spirit of the bathroom mirror,
sun visors are equipped with mirrors. For tobacco aficionados,
at arms length are cigarette lighter and ashtray. Though
the glove compartment seldom contains gloves, it can
double for the medicine cabinet and tool box. Your car
now competes with your rec-romm’s soundproofing and
includes a state-of-the-art sound system that accommodates
CDs, USB drives and your cellphone. The seats are upholstered
in leather, nylon or wool, can be raised or lowered
like our most comfortable living room chair, and they
can heat up in winter. Mimicking home security systems,
most cars feature sophisticated anti-theft technology.
And
where privacy is the supreme value, it didn't take long
for the "young and the restless" to discover
that the back seat of a car could function as a makeshift
boudoir.
As
the detachable part of every home, the car cannot compete
with the home's enormous area advantage, just as the
latter cannot be employed in servicing the home. When
kitchen supply is running on empty, the modern day equivalent
of the hunter detaches the mobile unit of his home,
stops at a grocery and returns with the goods. When
home parts break down or atrophy, the car facilitates
the seeking and procuring of the necessary replacements.
And when the day is done, the mobile is put to bed in
the garage section of the home.
What
next for the car? With driverless cars just around the
corner, and in keeping with the spirit of the home,
the automobiles of the future will offer a made-to-measure
menu of food and drink. For long distance travel, the
back seat will fold down into a bed while the backs
of the front seats will allow for letdown dining trays
and/or combination TV- computer screen -- developments
that do not bode well for the prohibitively expensive
and unwieldy motor home. And for those for whom office
space is unaffordable, the car will used for taking
care of business.
A
lot has changed since the man sitting high on his horse
said "let's ride," but as Led Zeppelin sings,
the rider “(the song) remains the same," always
looking for a more efficient, faster and smoother there
and back.
