Evolution of wheels through ages
According to historical accounts, the earliest depiction of a wheeled vehicle was found around 3635-3370 BCE (Before Common Era) though potter’s wheel was invented in 4000 BCE and logs were believed to be used as rollers to transport heavy objects as early as around 10,000 BCE.
Early wheels in 3500 BCE were wooden discs with square hole in the middle for an attached axle and in ancient India wheels were used for chariots. An Egyptian war chariot with wheels dating back to 1200 BCE is depicted in a mural in the tomb of Pharaoh Ramesses II.
Around 2000 BCE, the invention of the spoked wooden wheel, a much lighter wheel was first used for war chariots.
Steel rims and disc wheels in the design
In 1845, John Dunlop improved upon and patented the air-filled tyre, replacing the hard rubber tyres on bicycles while it was in 1920s that steel rims and disc wheels came into design.
It was in 1960s that alloy wheels were introduced to reduce the weight of wheels followed by the tweel, an airless tyre designed by French tyre-maker Michelin.
Presently, wheels have evolved into hubless wheels without any a rotating hub at the centre of the wheel.
Carts from the bygone era on display
Also on display at the museum are carts, which were extensively used for transportation purposes in the bygone era.
While horsedrawn carriages, whose vestiges are still visible in parts of the country, were the mainstay of transportation in urban areas, the carts drawn by bullocks were used by people in rural areas to transport both men and material.
1925 model Fiat, manufactured in Italy
A 1925 model Fiat 501 is among the oldest exhibits at Payana Vintage Car Museum near Mysuru.
Manufactured in Italy, the Fiat had a 1,460 cc engine with 23hp@2,600 rpm and could run at a top speed 44 miles per hour or 71 kilometres per hour. Its price in 1925 was 32,000 Lire.
This model was the first entirely new automobile manufactured by Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino (FIAT) in 1919 after the first world war to replace the Fiat 70, which was in production from 1915 to 1920.
This model was also Fiat’s response to an attempted invasion of the European market by the American Ford Model T.
Mysuru Maharaja’s car in the museum
The 1949 model Daimler DE 36 belonging to the erstwhile Maharaja of Mysuru the late Jayachamaraa Wadiyar occupies a pride of place among the vintage cars on display at the Museum.
The DE chassis manufactured by Daimler company, England, from 1946 to 1953, was the company’s largest and most expensive cars of its time with its competitor being the Rolls-Royce Phantom IV. Its price in 1947 was 1,300 pounds for chassis only. “It was being offered as a rolling chassis and allowed buyers to have a custom-built body by third-party coach builders to their individual taste”, according to information provided by the Museum.
The Daimler DE 36 model with a long wheelbase was primarily sold to British royalty and overseas to the royalty of Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Netherlands, Monaco, Saudi Arabia and Thailand, besides the heads of State of other nations.
Published - June 07, 2024 09:00 am IST
