History of the Automobile, The early history of the automobile can be divided into a number of eras, based on the prevalent means of propulsion. Later periods were defined by trends in exterior styling, size, and utility preferences. In 1769 the first steam-powered automobile capable of human transportation was built by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot. In 1808, François Isaac de Rivaz designed the first car powered by an internal combustion engine fueled by hydrogen. In 1870 Siegfried Marcus built the first gasoline-powered combustion engine, which he placed on a pushcart, building four progressively sophisticated combustion-engine cars over a 10-to-15-year span that influenced later cars. Marcus created the two-cycle combustion engine. The car’s second incarnation in 1880 introduced a four-cycle, gasoline-powered engine, an ingenious carburetor design, and magneto ignition. He created an additional two models further refining his design with steering, a clutch, and brakes. The four-stroke petrol (gasoline) internal combustion engine that […]
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