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| Defined for its distinctive design trait, the 1901 Oldsmobile Model R is commonly referred to as a Curved Dash Oldsmobile. (Photo taken by Chris Nagy) |
Throughout our daily interactions, there may likely be one or two words/phrases which may be relics from the past. One example is when someone says to “dial” a phone number derived from the existence of rotary dials that were found on older telephones. Despite rotary telephones being obsolete for decades, many of us are still comfortable using the word to describe when making a phone call.
For automobiles, a number of basic, longstanding design features and components have survived more than a century. Amusingly, in spite of massive advancements in styling and automotive behaviour, these parts of automotive anatomy have kept their names from the past. Even as attempts are made by auto companies to attach different and perhaps more suitable names to these features, the general motoring public and even die hard car enthusiasts prefer the familiar describers.
Dashboard
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| Dashboards have donned countless designs and layouts for more than a century. The one pictured onboard the Project Arrow concept car developed by the a collective of interests including Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association of Canada boasts the presence of adaptive digital displays that have grown popular on modern vehicles. (Photo taken by Chris Nagy) |
The strides of an equine have the tendency of throwing dirt, mud and small stones behind it. For the occupants of a horse-drawn carriage, they were obviously in the path of the debris kicked up during the dash. To shield against this trail, carriages incorporated a screen called a dashboard.
The birth of automobiles came with a massive inspiration from the horse-drawn carriage. Dashboards remained prevalent on early rear-engined automobiles. Introduced in 1901, the Curved Dash Oldsmobile stood out for its namesake design features made possible for the fact horses were no longer in place to require such extensive shielding.
Over time, the term dashboard transitioned from being a practical exterior feature to being a prominent component to an automobile’s interior. We’ve since accepted the dashboard as an automobile panel hosting the instrument cluster, vehicle controls, radio, ventilation and even storage compartments. Automakers have attempted to advertise the component as an instrument panel consistently in modern marketing but the word dashboard continues to be held in the lexicon of the general population.
Trunk
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| The three-box car design used for coupes and sedans, an engine compartment, passenger compartment and trunk as seen on this 2015 Hyundai Elantra. (Photo taken by Chris Nagy) |
As soon as automobiles evolved past its infant years as a mechanical novelty, people instantly began exploiting
its improving reliability and capabilities for longer travel. With the engine finding its place at the front of most
automobiles and a passenger compartment at the center, it made perfect sense that a large storage space could
be positioned at the rear of an automobile.
From the late 1800s to the early 1900s, a steamer trunk was a popular travel companion. People of means went
on excursions extending for weeks and even months with this large piece of luggage. When people started to
partake in long car trips, accommodations were made on some vehicles to incorporate racks large enough to
hold a trunk. Appearing throughout the 1910s to the 1930s, trunks would be removable on earlier cars. Towards
the end of the 1930s, an integrated rear storage space was designed into most passenger cars. The term trunk
stuck with coupes and sedans as it was generally a self-contained space (although the inclusion of fold-down
rear seats on sedans in the 1990s did open it up to the interior).
Glove Compartment
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| The glove compartment has been both a classic and critical interior feature found on nearly every passenger car (Photo taken by Chris Nagy) |
Owners of early automobiles accepted the great machine as a source of status and recreation. To go for a ride
in a motor vehicle, drivers and some passengers were encouraged to dress for the occasion. A host of
specialized clothing came to be with coats, goggles and most importantly gloves being part of a person’s
ensemble behind the steering wheel.
Automakers began incorporating a small, handy compartment for drivers to place their gloves and other small
driving accessories between travels. Appearing during the early 1900s, this enclosed space gained the name
glove compartment or glove box. This simple yet ingenious feature would not immediately be included on all
vehicles but grew in popularity by the 1930s with placement favouring the front passenger side of a vehicle’s
dashboard. Ironically, driving gloves were generally out of fashion by the time there was widespread inclusion
of glove compartments on automobiles. By the 1950s and 1960s, occupants would more likely store vehicle
documents, maps, sunglasses or an owner’s manual in a glove compartment.
Up to this day, a glove compartment remains an essential item when designing a passenger vehicle interior.
Horn
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| An old style squeeze horn incorporated into the design of a 1904 Oldsmobile Model T (Photo taken by Chris Nagy) |
One of the oldest sound instruments developed by human beings, the horn has become a reliable means to signal the presence of a person or group. As a growing number of people started to find mobility with quicker, quieter forms of transportation than horses, horns were immediately used to communicate with pedestrians and other vehicles.
Initially, motorists used a cone-shaped squeeze horn identical to those equipped on bicycles but the technology needed to improve as automobile speeds increased. The biggest change came with the advent of the electric horn created by famous German company Robert Bosch GmbH in 1921. This allowed automotive horns to be integrated into the design of vehicles with drivers finding its trigger within the center of the steering wheel. Even as the introduction of driver-side airbags progressed, the placement of the horn controls remained consistent.
Differing from its classic cone appearance, the actual horn mechanism creating the sound for production cars from the 1950s to today resembles more of a hockey puck with a small scoop.
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