ABS in 1969?
 

I picked up an old "fundmentals of auto mechanics" book at a resale store today. It looks like it's maybe a textbook as it has tests at the end of each chapter.

The copyright is 1969 with no other date listed as an update.

In the brake section it shows how Ford Sure-Track uses a sensor in each rear connected to a "small, solid-state computer" axle to monitor wheel speed. When it senses a change in RPM it reduces the hydraulic pressure on the brakes to allow the wheel to still spin but not lock-up.

I had no idea that ABS was introduced back then. This must have been a huge selling point in the day.

I think......BMW was the first manufacturer to have ABS in production vehicles/bikes. Of course it was implemented into aircraft first .

Exactly how small was a, "small, solid-state computer" in 1969? Trunk sized?

dad's 62 fascel II had a rear antilock pressure gimmick
back when we had inspections
the car would not pass the brake roller test
you had to put the parking brake on to pass
this with new 4 wheel disks

I recall my university physics prof talking about this system ca 1982. It wasn't ABS exactly, but a system that ensured the front brakes would lock up before the rear brakes.

I'm not sure how the system functioned, but the prof had a rigged up a cool demo to prove the concept worked.

Of course he first asked for a show of hands; would it be better to lock up the front brakes first, or the rear? Most students said locking the rear would be better (who hadn't locked up the rear wheel on a coaster brake bike. Put's down a cool skid-mark).

The prof did then perform the demonstration using a toy car rolling down a ramp.

Firstly locking only the rear brakes, the car did loops as it slid down the ramp.

Secondly locking only the front brakes, the car tracked straight and true down the ramp.

A very instructive lesson that I've reflected on many times over the years.

The Jensen interceptor FF featured 4 wheel drive, tractioncontrol and ABS in 1965. For the ABS they used the dunlop maxaret system.

1929 Anti-lock braking system - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 1969 Lincoln Mark III had anti-lock brakes. I distinctly remember reading about it in a car mag at the time.

It was actually Mercedes-Benz that patented ABS for cars...

-Z-man.

ABS, or ESC? ....Electronic stability control

The wiki article should be edited if MBz was first with ABS for cars.

Our (beastly) 1974 Lincoln Mark IV had anti-lock brakes.

Both really.

Wiki articles are not very reliable....it is no wonder that most schools don't allow them to be used as references...

-Z-man.

OP - do you want to know when ABS was invented, or when it was first put on any car, or when it was first put on a production car?

The Chrysler Imperial introduced rear ABS as an option in 1967.
The Chrysler Imperial introduced 4 wheel ABS as an option in late 1970 for the 1971 production year.

The only cars to have antilock brakes fitted before that were limited production or specialty cars - such as the 1966 Jensen FF, the Ferguson P99 racing car, and the experimental all wheel drive Ford Zodiac.

Mercedes did not offer their Bosch developed ABS until 1978.

The first production car to offer ABS as standard equipment was the 1985 Ford Granada Mk 3.

Dodge was the first company to offer 4 wheel ABS on a 4x4 truck.


Sources: Allpar, ehow, wikipedia, and motorsforum.com

I remember my father making business trips to Detroit in the mid 60's.
Seems the auto makers had hired his company (Hercules) to act as "explosive" consultants.

The industry has come up with some new-fangled gizmo called an air bag but the stuff they were using to expand the bags would be too dangerous to passengers.

My father and his colleagues came up with a slower acting explosive that could be controlled and timed so it wouldn't kill the people in the car.
It would later be slowed down even more.