--- yd3@nvc.net wrote:
> Why didn't America bear left? We had no knights!
This reminds me of a true tidbit of trivia I stumbled
across not terribly long ago. It mentioned the fact
that track measurements (the distance between the
wheel hubs) for cars is relatively consistent. That
is, most cars have tracks that fall into a very common
range. Why? Because it's based on how wide roads
are, of course.
But why are roads that wide? Who decided how wide
roads would be? Well, they are based loosely on the
width of train tracks, which are based loosely on the
width of horse-drawn-carriage paths, which are based
loosely on... well, you see where I'm going...
It turns out that the track measurement of a modern
car can be linked very directly back to the original,
road width-defining vehicle: The Roman Chariot.
Pretty cool, huh?
=====
Paul Misencik - 1971 MGB - www.sopwithracing.com
THE CAROLINA TROPHY - 2005
A vintage driving event in the spirit
of the Mille Miglia, Rallye des Alpes,
and Colorado Grand.
See www.carolinatrophy.com for details.
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