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The collection of cars, lorries, engines, aeroplanes, motorbikes and bicycles on show at the mNACTEC takes us on a journey through the history of transport, from its beginnings in Spain in 1857 up to our own times. Of the vehicles exhibited, it’s worth pointing out among other things the Locomobile steam car, built in 1899, the 1957 SEAT 600, the 1955 Biscuter, or the 1932 Fairchild aeroplane.
Locomobile steam car, built in 1899
The visit includes the working model railway of Joaquim Gili, restored by the Railway Club of Terrassa. The model railway consists of 400 metres of track with 100 sets of points and a fleet of some 200 wagons, for passengers and for goods.
The impetus for the invention of the bicycle came from the Michaux brothers in 1861. This is a model that has many similarities with the velocipede built by its French inventors.
In 1904, a new company was set up in Barcelona called the Hispano-Suiza Fábrica de automóviles, S.A., which became the country’s great automobile industry.
Brief History of Transport
1955 Biscuter
The Biscuter was made by the Autonacional Biscuter Voisin company at Sant Adrià del Besòs. Almost 5.000 biscuters were turned out between 1951 and 1958.
Of the aviation material on view, we want to point out the Fairchild model R.24 aeroplane, built in 1932 in the United States, the Elizalde radial aero engines, and the double V Hispano Suiza, built in this country.
During the first half of the XIX century the steam engine became established as the main source of power. By applying it in different ways, various attempts were made to build steam road vehicles, sometimes with some success. The steam car continued in use up until the 1920s. What gave the motorcar its main impulse, however, was the combustion engine, which within a few years replaced the steam engine for most uses. From 1880, the combustion engine was developed for use in industry and for transport. Thanks to the work of Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler, Germany took the lead in the car industry. In 1886, Daimler fitted a single-cylinder one horsepower combustion engine, built by himself, in a four-wheeled carriage. At the same time, Benz designed a tricycle fitted with a four-speed motor of 984 cm3, based on a gas engine that he had made.
The United States entered the automobile world In 1907. While Europe was building luxury cars, the philosophy adopted over there was to make them in large numbers at a price accessible to the wide middle class. Henry Ford was the outstanding constructor in this field. He set up his plant in Detroit and went into production-line car making. The car that was his greatest success was the Model T, of which he built more than 15 million. Thanks to this, wide sections of the American public become motorised.
In Catalonia, Francesc Bonet i Daimau, an industrial engineer and textile producer, patented and built the first car with a combustion engine in 1889. In 1901, the first automobiles in Spain were registered and in 1904, Damià Mateu, Francesc Seix and other well-known Barcelona figures founded the Hispano Suiza car company.
 |  | | Cotxes, motos, avions, ... | Avió Wright Flyer 1903 |
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