Lost Knowledge
Are you familiar with the term “lost knowledge”? Knowledge that is no longer available, that has been forgotten over time, through disuse, or because of more modern forms. For example, it's easy to research the past 25 years online, but before that, the information gets scarcer and scarcer. Older material isn't available in digital form and usually has to be painstakingly converted from its analog state. Knowledge has fallen by the wayside, and even the “silver bullet” of AI can't help in such cases.
Sometimes, such knowledge—which was almost lost—can be salvaged from a box of books. In this case, a slim, hardcover book—barely 200 pages long—in paperback format from 1972. Written by T.R. Nicholson, who took the trouble in 1971 to describe the race cars from the era spanning 1898 to 1921. Lovingly illustrated, the book reveals vehicles that haven't made it into a race car book in a long time—from that exciting era when the very first races were ever held, when national racing colors began appearing on the cars, and the first racetracks were built.
We read that in the early years of the automobile, virtually anyone could enter a race; technically, there was no difference between a race car and a touring car. In the 1901 race from Paris to Berlin, three vehicle classes were introduced for the first time: over 650, over 400, and under 400 kilograms. And to counteract the technical arms race, a fuel consumption formula was introduced as early as 1907 at the French Grand Prix: no more than 30 liters per 100 kilometers. Who would have known all that?
