How did early Automatic gear boxes on cars work?

In a few years time, the modern gearboxes will, I expect, all be single speed reduction, so no longer a need for electronics to control the gearbx.🙂

This is an interesting thread on bygones and those that preserve them. I just off-loaded my last automatic gear-boxed vehicle. All I remember of the 1970’s Borg Warner three speeders was that there must have been an over-ride switch (as well as smooth control for normal progress) when the ‘kick-down’ was required. The minis, with the four speed box, had an easy change from top to third, rather than the less-than-precise manual selection with the three speeders (really only required for maintaining a lower ratio, rather than anything else).

The AP (Mini) box allowed lower gears 123 to be held and changed manually, or be fully automatic in D. Regrettably never fitted to sports cars, but I did often have an Alfa 2 litre prototype with 4 speed auto transaxle at weekends. Canned by Fiat, but a fabulous machine for visiting my girlfriend, instead of my more mundane transport. My best Preston to Warwick was 1 hour 42 min on a Sunday evening in 1976.

Back in the late 20s, the Tilling Stevens buse was a petrol electric (Similar in basic principle to the Diesel elctric locomotive ) Because of the poorer technologies then available, and being DC, then they were not immune to faults such as flashover.

Not quite like our modern Hybrids

Howard