Thank Goodness for the Electronic Ignition
We have a very spunky 87 year old woman named Barbara that house sits with our dogs when we travel. Upon our return home, we always look forward to her written notes with a full accounting of the day’s events, including the regularities of the puppy’s outdoor excrement.This past week Barbara looked after the pooches and in addition to recapping the day's events, we found a note from her in our December issue of Hemming’s Classic Car magazine bookmarking an article about the 1919 Ford Model T and how that particular year’s model was a watershed for the company.
Barbara’s note read like this:
I was born in 1921, this car is a 1919. I remember riding in one that belonged to my grandparents. My mom and I were staying at their home which was on a farm when grandma broke her arm cranking the car. If I remember right, the crank would flip around the opposite direction after cranking.Cranking a car engine was notorious in regards to breaking bones unless you were very careful. First you would cup the crank in your hand making sure you didn’t grip it with your thumb. When the engine started, you had to be prepared to pull your hand away quickly because the handle could jump with quite a force and break your thumb or other bones.Soon after, my mother broke her arm the same way. So one had a broken right arm and the other had a broken left arm. Each of them wore a cast so one would sweep the floor, and the other hold the dust pan. Their next car was a 1926 Durant with an electronic ignition.
The first electrical ignition system or electric starter motor for cars was invented by GM engineers Clyde Coleman and Charles Kettering. The self starting ignition was first installed in a Cadillac on February 17, 1911. The invention of the electric starter motor by Charles Kettering eliminated the need for hand cranking.
Maybe this holiday season when family and friends are gathering, why not ask an elderly individual if they can remember any auto mishaps in the early years of the horseless carriage. We'd love to hear what you find out.
Photo © The Hartford Auto jack Cover - Henry Ford Collection
Comments
Using the phrase ‘electronic ignition’ for an
electric starter equiped vehicle is
misleading. Electronic ignition refers to a
specific technology introduced in the 1970s
in which mechanical breaker points in the
distributor were replaced by electronics for
triggering spark plug ignition.
This is completely separate from an electric
starter. Most cars from the 1950s will have
an electric starter but none will have
electronic ignition.