Automobiles

Fall 2019

Traffic signals: A brief history

Before automobiles even swarmed over the roads and streets, there was a need to control traffic to avoid accidents and keep vehicles moving smoothly.

The current systems have developed over more than a century, and they’re poised to change once again as vehicles become more connected and traffic control moves toward AI and complex computer-driven systems.

A signal history

December 10, 1868 — The first gas-lit traffic lights were installed outside the Houses of Parliament in London. Proposed by British railway engineer J.P. Knight to control the traffic of horse carriages, gas lights were manually controlled by a police officer using semaphore arms. … » More …

Winter 2006

Jeff Clark: Elegant antiques

The object of Jeff Clark’s desire once belonged to the Shah of Iran. The shiny black 1939 Bugatti Type 57C was originally commissioned by the French government and given to the Shah as a present on the occasion of his first marriage. Today the roadster is part of the Petersen Automotive Museum collection in Los Angeles, and in September spent a night in a covered concrete parking garage in Kirkland.

Clark is there when a driver brings it in and parks it next to Fred Astaire’s Rolls-Royce, just up the ramp from the Porsche 917 Steve McQueen drove in Le Mans.

“It’s my favorite,” says … » More …