Re: 53 Cavalier Self-Parker

Posted by Rusty O\'Toole On 2010/12/21 13:05:50

Once you described the self parking device I remembered seeing it before, in a magazine article from the early 50s. It was in Popular Mechanics or Popular Science. The inventor mounted 2 dolly wheels under the back of a car so they could be deployed by a hydraulic or electrical mechanism. The wheels were placed so as to rub against the rear tires when down. By shifting the car into gear, the rear of the car moved sideways.

It was not invented by Packard but by an individual who hoped to sell his invention to the auto industry. I believe he made it available as an aftermarket accessory. Possibly Packard tested it, or someone had it installed on his own.

Packard also experimented with a radar self braking mechanism. It was meant to apply the brakes automatically in an emergency. The trouble is it would slam on the brakes with a screech if anything got within 30 feet of the front of the car, another car, a pedestrian, a lamp post as you turned a corner, a garbage can, anything. They discarded the idea after a testing it and finding the idea unworkable.

*Update*

After looking at the pictures, it seems the car in question uses a different system than the one I saw in the magazine. The one on the 53 Packard seems to involve a movable spare tire, belt driven by who knows what.