Renault 4TL. There were many of these vehicles in my country when I was a kid. I rode in them, I worked in their engines, I loved the simplicity and logic of these vehicles, and how reliable they were.
That was also the time I read Asimov books about robots, and how in the future people would be surrounded by them, being an important part in their daily lives.
Next week I’ll be working adding a remote starter and power lock to my vehicle. It is not a very modern car, it is a 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan, but still, even the power locks in that vehicle are controlled by a computer! So I will have to “hack” the power lock computer to add the control from the new remote units. In other words, I’ll be doing “brain surgery” to my car!
When reading Asimov in the 80’s I never imagined those sci fi cars would be among people so soon!
Not that my van can think by itself like a human being, but it does use the equivalent of thought processes to control the engine, transmission, doors, and even the climate control inside the vehicle!
So I remember those cars from the 70’s and 80’s, which were meant to be a way of transportation and traveling, always under the control of the driver, rather than by themselves.
I can’t deny that I like the comforts offered by the newer vehicles controlled by computers, but at the same time I miss those cars that I could feel having control over them, rather than have to rely in my cell phone to call a tow truck in case something goes wrong. No options nowadays; no chance to open the hood and fix the problem; no control over the robot that kindly transport me, until it decides to quit and go into strike!
So while I enjoy my robot car, I remember those who were simple machines created to aid people in their activities, like tools to make things better and faster.
I wish I could get one of these older cars, like the Renault 4TL in the picture (they are so expensive!!). Although they don’t have all the comforts of newer cars, they are so much fun to drive and work on!
If we were still driving those simple machines that required the driver to have control over the vehicle, there would be a lot less accidents in the roads today, but that is something for it’s own post.
Raul
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