What every manufacturer wants is solid brand recognition. When a product becomes a recognizable brand, the buying public recognizes it for the sum of attributes that is historically associated with the product. Hopefully in a good way. Take the crest that has adorned Cadillacs for over a century. When most people see the Cadillac crest, they usually think of large, luxury American sedans with all the creature comforts. And the owners? Generally older and in most cases retired.

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Automobile and truck tires are made up of a few dozen materials but the main three are: natural rubber, synthetic rubber and carbon-black. Let’s look at the sources of these three primary materials.

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Driving at night is dangerous. The reasons are obvious: poor vision on dark highways, obstacles that are recognized too late, wrong judgement of speed, driving into oncoming headlights -and all of this possibly exacerbated by wet, reflecting road surfaces. Fortunately, there is a technology solution coming our way that can make these driving conditions less difficult. Let’s take a look.

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The 1920s were a time of great economic growth in the United States and, because of this, by the late 1920s many American automakers were preparing new, ultra-luxury cars. It was during this time that Cadillac, one of the finest automotive makes in the world, released the first V16 engine. It was a jaw-dropping advancement in automotive technology and led to others soon jumping on the V16 bandwagon.

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What does it take to stop a 1950s, four-ton limousine that just so happens to be carrying the leader of the free world? If you answered “good brakes,” you’d be right. And, there’s quite a story behind the brakes on the Chrysler limousine used by president Dwight (Ike) Eisenhower. You might say that Ike’s preference for Chryslers had a profound effect on the design of automotive brakes throughout the World.

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