23 Is VW the inventor of the VR6 and G-charger design?
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This article is from the Watercooled VWs General FAQ, by Jan Vandenbrande with numerous contributions by others.
23 Is VW the inventor of the VR6 and G-charger design?
A: No in both cases. Most of the car "novelties" you see now on the road
have been invented between 50 and 100 years ago.
The reason why you only see these innovations pop up now is because
many of these innovations where not economically feasible to be
mass produced.
For example, the G-charger, was pattented in 1905 [Vack], was to replace the
common piston driven steam engine, requires very precise machining that
can only be achieved with current day NC machine tools.
The VR6 design is modeled after an 18 degree V4 made by Vincenzo
Lancia for the Lancia Aprilia [Vack].
ABS is also nothing new, a mechanical version based on centripetal
forces was used on German trucks during WWII.
Similarly, Turbo chargers were first used on Messerschmidt planes
to compensate for thinner air at altitude.
However, if there is one thing VW should get credit for is applying
some of these innovation and making it economically feasible to
produce. Not a simple feat.
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