A Final Hoosier History Lesson - Part 4

In previous “Hoosier” entries, I shared a few of the major automotive inventions that took place within our Hoosier state. From the gasoline pump, to the rear-view mirror, to the automobile itself, multiple ideas were brought to fruition right here in Indiana, all of which helped cement Indiana’s legacy in regards to important contributions to the automotive world.

To conclude this series, here are a couple more Indiana automotive inventions that people may be unaware of.

I previously covered the invention of the rear-view mirror thanks to the Indianapolis 500, but did you know that seat belts also came about because of the iconic Memorial Day weekend race? The Greatest Spectacle in Racing has been the catalyst for multiple inventions to the automotive world, and the rear-view mirror and seat belts remain two of the most important.

In 1922, a handful of years after the “invention” of the rear-view mirror by the inaugural Indy 500 winner Ray Harroun, spectators and drivers had come to learn that many of the horrific injuries and fatalities that occurred during the race in previous years were caused by drivers being ejected from their vehicle(s). Tragedies that might have been avoided had it not been for the prior belief that drivers/passengers would be safer by being thrown clear of any wreckage, rather than trapped inside.

Enter Indy 500 driver Barney Oldfield.

Oldfield, credited as being the first person to ever drive a car above 60mph, enlisted the help of a parachute manufacturer (Leslie Leroy Irvin) to design a restraining harness for use during the 1922 Indianapolis 500. Oldfield successfully put the new contraption to good use, finishing the race with no safety issues.

However, even with the device proving to be a successful addition to the race car, automobile manufacturers weren’t too keen on the idea of seat belts. They viewed the invention as something that would scare off potential buyers, or at the bare minimum instill fear in existing owners/drivers, purporting that the new invention would lead people to believe that vehicles were unsafe without them. Thanks to the push-back from automakers, along with convincing the public that seat belts actually made cars *safer,* it took multiple decades before seat belts began catching on in the late 1940’s. Seat belts eventually became standard in all automobiles beginning in 1964.

Piggybacking onto the 1922 Indianapolis 500, we have one further invention to thank that specific race for: front wheel drive!

Despite winning the 1922 race, driver Jimmy Murphy demanded a front-wheel drive car for future races. Murphy’s demand stemmed from his belief that he would be able to drive even better if he were “pulled” by the vehicle through turns, rather than be “pushed,” as all his previous race cars had behaved.

Prominent inventor and engineer Harry Miller came to Murphy's rescue, unveiling an all new race car design. Removing 150 pounds from the weight of the vehicle in doing so, Miller introduced a transverse-mounted transmission which eliminated the need for a driveshaft. The redesign also enabled the driver to sit directly on the floor pan, which lowered the car's center of gravity and improved both mileage and turning.

Sadly, Jimmy Murphy died in a wreck in 1924 before he could get behind the wheel of Miller’s new invention. Fellow driver Dave Lewis stepped up to the plate and drove the car to a 2nd place finish in the 1925 Indy 500. Though it was only a runner-up finish, automakers took note and began adopting the new style themselves. Sure enough, only a few years later in 1929, “Front-wheel Drive” debuted to the public in two different new passenger cars; the Ruxton, and the Cord L-29.

Though All-wheel Drive and Rearwheel Drive are very popular nowadays thanks to SUV’S and sedans, Front-wheel Drive vehicles dominated the automotive landscape for many decades.

The next time you hop in and buckle up, run the names Barney Oldfield, Jimmy Murphy, Harry Miller, and Dave Lewis through your head. Without the four of them, and without the Greatest Spectacle in Racing itself, all of our vehicles would no-doubt be quite different.

Drive smart, drive safe!