Automatic Drive was the trade name for Studebaker Corporation’s first automatic transmission, designed in conjunction with Borg-Warner's Detroit Gear division. Studebaker was one of two independent American auto manufactures to invest in the development and tooling for automatic transmissions, the other being Packard and its Ultramatic product. An automatic transmission is an automobile gearbox that can change gear ratios automatically as the car or truck moves, thus freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually. ... BorgWarner is a U.S. automotive parts supplier, known for its automatic transmissions and turbo chargers. ... Packard red hexagon symbol made its debut in 1905, with the color red added in 1913 Packard was a United States based brand of luxury automobile built by the Packard Motors Company of Detroit,Michigan, and later by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana. ... Ultramatic was the trademarked name of Packard Motors Company automatic transmission introduced in 1950 and produced until 1956 at Packards Detroit, Michigan factory. ...
Automatic Drive, which combined a three-speed planetary gearset and a lock-up torque converter, debuted in early 1950 as a $201 option on all Studebaker models. Ford, which was without an automatic transmission in 1950, approached Studebaker about buying Automatic Drive units, however Studebaker's management refused and therefore lost out on what could have been significant "plus" business. 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Ford may mean a number of things: A ford is a river crossing. ...
By 1955, Studebaker was forced to abandon Automatic Drive because of high production costs. Studebaker replaced Automatic Drive with a less expensive Borg-Warner unit that Studebaker called Flight-O-Matic. 1955 (MCMLV in Roman) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
A drive shaft connects the rear of the transmission to the final drive which is located in the rear axle and is used to send power to the rear wheels.
A much less popular rear drive arrangement has the transmission mounted directly to the final drive at the rear and is connected by a drive shaft to the torque converter which is still mounted on the engine.
The modern automatic transmission consists of many components and systems that are designed to work together in a symphony of clever mechanical, hydraulic and electrical technology that has evolved over the years into what many mechanically inclined individuals consider to be an art form.
When a driver shifts from two- to four-wheel drive in a vehicle with part-time four-wheel drive, he or she locks together the front and rear axles, so the front and rear wheels rotate at the same speed.
The appeal of these automatic four-wheel-drive vehicles is they monitor and sense their own traction needs as they travel, and automatically adjust how the power is delivered to the wheels.
Automatic four-wheel drive has been a growing offering on vehicles and is available on such models as the Ford Escape and Lexus GX 470.