First cars in New York

[Captain Caveman]

Which side were the steering wheels on, at 3:20 -

 

[DudleySmith]

Cars were fairly old by 1911, but the 1903 Bucks had them on the right.

1903 Buick - Google Search

www.google.com

Same with Fords until 1908; by 1915 it became the American standard.

The first Chevrolet's steering wheel was on the left side, no surprise since Chevrolet himself was French, and iirc the French driving regs were opposite the Brits.

The first Ford Model T and driving on the left

I read with great interest the Albert Southwick column about driving on the right. I spent some time driving in...

www.telegram.com

The first Ford Model T rolled out into the world in October 1908 as a 1909 model car, not 1916, and yes, the steering wheel was on the left. By 1916, the Model T was the world leader in sales, by far. By 1912, the popular Reo had the steering wheel on the left. Buick and Hudson joined the "left hand control" in 1914, and Cadillac caught up with the trend in 1915. The ultra-expensive Pierce-Arrow was the last holdout, finally placing their steering wheels on the left in 1921.

As for the French connection, Napoleon was left handed. He decreed that people should walk on the right side of a path rather than the left, so that his sword would be handy if needed. That tradition became ingrained in French culture, and continued when automobiles started to appear. Most early French cars have steering wheels on the left and in that country they drove on the right from the beginning.

I'm a fan of the Pierce Arrows, both their cars and their trucks. Always wanted to buy a restored antique one, but other hobbies came first.

pierce Arrow trucks - Google Search

www.google.com

 

[Bleipriester]

Horse shit mounted in the city before the cars appeared. They piled it up between the buildings, as high as the buildings.

 

[Quasar44]

 

[Captain Caveman]

Cars were fairly old by 1911, but the 1903 Bucks had them on the right.

1903 Buick - Google Search

www.google.com

Same with Fords until 1908; by 1915 it became the American standard.

The first Chevrolet's steering wheel was on the left side, no surprise since Chevrolet himself was French, and iirc the French driving regs were opposite the Brits.

The first Ford Model T and driving on the left

I read with great interest the Albert Southwick column about driving on the right. I spent some time driving in...

www.telegram.com

The first Ford Model T rolled out into the world in October 1908 as a 1909 model car, not 1916, and yes, the steering wheel was on the left. By 1916, the Model T was the world leader in sales, by far. By 1912, the popular Reo had the steering wheel on the left. Buick and Hudson joined the "left hand control" in 1914, and Cadillac caught up with the trend in 1915. The ultra-expensive Pierce-Arrow was the last holdout, finally placing their steering wheels on the left in 1921.

As for the French connection, Napoleon was left handed. He decreed that people should walk on the right side of a path rather than the left, so that his sword would be handy if needed. That tradition became ingrained in French culture, and continued when automobiles started to appear. Most early French cars have steering wheels on the left and in that country they drove on the right from the beginning.

I'm a fan of the Pierce Arrows, both their cars and their trucks. Always wanted to buy a restored antique one, but other hobbies came first.

pierce Arrow trucks - Google Search

www.google.com

In the video I noticed the steering wheels were on the right, but they still drove on the right

 

[DigitalDrifter]

Literally every person in that video, including children, were all well dressed. It's just a reminder of how far our society has fallen.