TOYOTA AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM TOP EXHIBITIONS/VIRTUAL MUSEUM The Age of Pioneers The birth of the gasoline car saw the spread of its production to a large number of makers. But, by today's standards, the vehicles these makers produced were no more than "horseless carriages." Not until 1890 was the foundation of automotive technology finally completed. Before the First Car Pioneer Cars Completing the Foundation of Automotive Technology Diverse Power Mechanisms Technological Standardization: Differentiation Between Practical and Luxury Cars

Most pioneering vehicles at the time were influenced by horse-drawn carriages and bicycles, and their drive system layouts and structures made them little more than “horseless carriages.” Panhard et Levassor, which began automobile production in 1890, was inspired by the steel automobile made by Daimler (in 1889) and received a patent for the System Panhard, which forms the foundation of modern automobile technology. The engine was placed at the front of the vehicle, and behind it were the clutch and transmission, in that order. Power was supplied to the rear wheels via the drive shaft and differential. These were the first vehicles to adopt the so-called front-engine, rear-wheel-drive format. Even the initial tiller-type cars of this model featured a round steering wheel with a tilt steering column, adopting the Ackerman configuration.

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