Most significant automotive development

[chris1991]

What do you believe to have been the most significant development in the history of the automobile?

[crapcarcollector]

Rust

[catsinthewelder]

The feu orange air freshener.

[twosmoke300]

Common diagnostic port (eobd)

[jonathan_dyane]

Horsey Horseless

[Asimo]

Wire beaded Pneumatic tyres.

[Luckythirteen]

Engines. It's just a carriage otherwise. Top bloke that Karl Benz.

[brickwall]

If anybody says traction control (and all its bastard brothers) they will get a punch on the nose

[Cavcraft]

Rover going bust.

[twosmoke300]

Actually sorn me is right the beaded tubless tyre is it.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

The roof.

[Micrashed]

The Laguna II 1.9 diesel

[hairnet]

nicholas cugnot.........

[Lankytim]

Monocoque bodies. (or however it's spelt)

 

That or on board computers that control the engine and everything else. 

[twosmoke300]

Pineapples and stickers obv

[HMC]

Gaffa tape

[Mr Lobster]

'Lexus' lights

[phil_lihp]

The wheel

[Cavcraft]

Still Rover. If they hadn't made such shit cars, I'd probably still have my job at the car auctions.

[red5]

Can't really pick one. Best to pick the leap forward moments and list them. Proper ones, not the dressing on a cake type..

 

eg:

 

Internal combustion engine,

pneumatic tyres,

self servo drum brakes

differential

Ackermann steering angles

hydraulic braking

recirculating ball steering

unitary construction

 

etc

 

Imho.

[twosmoke300]

Concentric slave cylinders and dual mass flywheels. How did cars run without them.?

[ProgRocker]

The 'curry hook' on the dashboard of the Nissan Almera N16.

[coalnotdole]

I cant believe any car was able to function without cup holders...

[Spiny Norman]

http://autoshite.com/

[Skizzer]

The demise of the vinyl roof.

[Vin]

Dante Giacosa

[Sloth in a bowl]

An honerable mention for The Austin 7 which didn't do anything new, but did it cheaper and was copied all over the world which helped standardise control layouts.

 

also cup holders, but I was beaten to that. 

[dollywobbler]

Rack and pinion steering allied to front wheel drive. Sorry RWD lovers.

[overrun]

Sealed beam headlights.

[320touring]

Rack and pinion steering allied to front wheel drive. Sorry RWD lovers.

 

Aye, I mean, Who needs decent lock?

 

for me, most significant development is Inertia reel seatbelts- better safety for everyone due to a lack of patent being applied.