Past innovations
Where would motoring be if visionaries didn’t think outside the box – like Vauxhall more than 50 years ago with its futuristic mid-engined SRV family fourseater concept? Many forwardthinking ideas have changed the shape of motoring for the better but others were perhaps more misguided than marvellous – as Alan Anderson reveals.
DUNLOP DENOVO RUN-FLAT TYRE
It’s half a century since Dunlop invented what potentially was just as vital as the safety belt. Having a tyre blowout at speed is still a big worry for many but Dunlop’s radial ‘Total Mobility
Tyre’ seemed to allay such fears. Denovo featured a special rim with an inbuilt canister sealant so allowing a motorist to keep control and drive on at reduced speeds uninhibited until the tyre could be repaired or replaced.
Denovo’s first recipient was British Leyland, who made them standard fitment on the Mini 1275 GT (albeit it with 12in wheels) and an option on the P6 Rover saloon. Later models included the Princess and the Maestro but never Jaguar – and here’s why. A laudable idea but sadly excessive road noise and a too harsher ride were some of Denovo’s side effects which were never ironed out. Dial in higher replacement costs and it led to many second or third owners to revert back to conventional tyres.
JJD TWIN TYRE CONCEPT
Like the twin-blade razor, two cutting edges are better than one and after being outdragged in the wet by a skinny shod Citroën 2CV, it gave wheel-spinning Lotus Esprit driver Jerry Juhan the idea that two thin tyres were better than a single big one for optimum traction. Other benefits included better wet weather grip and a lessening of the chance of aquaplaning or a complete blow out. The tyres (Avon and Toyo) were said to have been simply reinforced motorcycle types mounted on a special single (Speedline) rim to accept them.
Launched in the mid 1980s, yet the idea was nothing new as Grand Prix racers of the 1930 first used ‘twin rears’ to contain their immense power and despite quite favourable press reports, the JJD (Jerry Juhan Development) concept, never gained traction – excessive weight and the cost of eight tyre replacements were sticking points of the worst kind.
AUDI PROCON-TEN
What would you sooner have in the event of a major crash – airbags or thick industrial winch cables to save you? Well, the latter is what Audi offered as a more reliable and cheaper alternative! Procon-Ten (Programmed Contraction-Tension) sounds sophisticated but from the manufacturer that prided itself on ‘vorsprung
