Man and Machine!

As you may have noticed, here at Octane we love cars! 

However it is more than the love of certain automobiles that spurns our desire. Really, if it goes fast and/or is just fun we love it. Let’s face it, who wouldn’t like to travel in a Bombardier Global 7500 with it’s exceptional performance and comfort? Or perhaps cruise Lake Como in a Riva 66’ Ribelle…and then there’s fun to be had carving forest trails in an AMG G63 wagon too! ...and I’ve always had a thing for helicopters…when I flew one for the first time it was described to me as trying to balance on a bowling ball, at great heights, with various weird controls!! Man and machine! I love it!!

Of course some of the best stories to tell come from our first years with a driver’s license (or prior if you were naughty like me), in my case old second hand Holdens and Fords crammed with mates going to the beach, a Fiat X19 which was a little, underpowered rust bucket, but handled like a go kart…so much topless fun! And journeys to the Gold Coast in a mate’s old Kombi which although nearly dead, kept trooping along. Or flying along dirt tracks on my Italjet 80cc Motocross bike, leaping jumps! The stories are endless, and all very fond.

From the very beginning of human civilization, we have been obsessed with the innovation of transportation, so the last 100 years has been a gift. One of the things that makes humanity so great is our ability to take raw materials and create something that empowers and progresses us as a society. Cars, planes, and boats have all come a long way, making our lives better and pushing our boundaries. For me, pushing boundaries by going faster, taking a corner better, clipping an apex just right is meditation, it’s achievement, and it’s FUN! If I could wind the clock back I’d do everything I could to be on the Formula One grid right now next to Fernando Alonso, and Checa (I’ve picked them because they are the ‘old guys’ like me), and push my boundaries! But let's take a look at some of the most influential inventions in the world of travel.

So, a little history…The internal combustion engine has come to be synonymous with modern travel, but the story behind it is fascinating. In the late 18th century, Scottish engineer James Watt developed the first piston engine, and Englishman Samuel Brown adapted it for use in transportation. In 1823, a French inventor named Samuel Morey was the first person to use it in a working boat. It wasn't until Karl Benz invented the gas-powered automobile in 1885 that internal combustion engines were used in cars, and the rest as they say is history.

Electric cars and boats, while not yet as popular as gas-powered vehicles, have a long and alluring history of their own. The first electric car was invented in Scotland in 1837 by Robert Anderson. While early electric cars had problems with run time, they have come leaps and bounds since their inception. Tesla, in particular, has many fans in their following, and the perception around electric vehicles is rapidly changing, technology leaping forward.

Hydrogen power is another fuel that may revolutionize the automobile industry soon. Though the first hydrogen-powered vehicle was invented as early as 1966, only now the real potential can be seen due to recent advancements in technology. Many brands are making moves into hydrogen engine technology as it has far-reaching benefits in terms of sustainability and fuel efficiency. I personally would love to drive a ICE style car that only emitted purified water from its exhaust pipe.

Brands like Ford, Porsche, Rolls Royce and Tesla have all helped shape the auto industry with their iconic cars. Each brand stepped into the unknown and made something groundbreaking. For example, Porsche made the 911 Carrera in the early 60s, a car that still sells today. It's an example of an automobile that transcends mere transportation and is considered as fitting into the category of art. 

Speaking of art, I had the iconic Lamborghini Countach poster on my wall as a teen, and still drool over the sculptured arches, wedge shapes, angular vents and double top stitched details of the modern brand, and most of its competitors. 

Similarly, boats like the Titanic and the SS Normandie have gone down in history for their grandeur and their role in the advancement of naval engineering. While aviation history is a whole other ball game, brands like Boeing, Rolls Royce, Lockheed and Airbus have all played an important part in contributing to flight as we know it now. We had a passenger plane in the 70’s that flew supersonic! How long before we dash supersonic into space and back into our atmosphere to go see our relatives across the world?..

Cars, planes, bikes and boats (in broad terms) were directly responsible for facilitating our growth as societies and aiding in new industries and markets. Industries such as tourism, carpentry, and farming have all been significantly affected by the progress made with transportation. Over time, transportation has been a proving ground for innovation and technological advancements in all fields of human endeavor…Let’s go to Mars!

So it's easy to take transportation for granted as we’ve been surrounded by it all our lives, but we should take a moment to appreciate it is an essential part of human progress. From the beginnings of transportation with steam engines to gas-powered engines to today's digitally enabled vehicles, there has been an incredible amount of innovation, creativity, and beauty that has played a part in moving society forward. With innovation fueling both electric and hydrogen-powered cars, as well as planes and boats, it's exciting to see where transportation will take us over the next decade. Across all types of transportation, all brands, and fuels used, we cannot deny the fact that cars, bikes, planes, and boats continue to make a significant impact on culture, history, and progress itself.

I’m excited to see the progress over the coming years. I have Octane coursing through my veins as you may tell from this article, and whether it be sliding around in the mud in a cheap buggy, pushing a race car to its limit of adhesion, or weaving through mountain passes in a helicopter, I will continue to enjoy the thrill of man and machine, and I remind you, however you embrace yours, don’t lose the passion to enjoy your machines.

Article by

Adam Taylor