The forerunners of the on-board computer
08/24/2017
Long before computers were installed in cars, car manufacturers and accessory suppliers were already catering to the information needs of drivers.
For example, there were windshields (picture above) on which you could calculate the average speed using two pointers with which you could set the distance and the elapsed time.
Or you could calculate the average fuel consumption on the back of the Blue Zone parking card by comparing the amount of fuel filled up with the kilometers driven.
There were also distance calculators. You pre-selected the starting point and could then read off the distance from the starting point on a map, which had corresponding holes at large locations, in which kilometer information then appeared.
For safety-oriented people, disks were available that showed the stopping distance including reaction time for different speeds.
Today we use cell phones, the navigation system, the on-board computer or internet aids for these purposes, in the past you had to know how to help yourself with simpler, but quite effective means.
We saw the two photographed aids at the Zurich Classic Car Award, when the owner of a Fiat 508C Viotti Cabriolet demonstrated them to us.
An article on the beauty contest itself will be published soon.
