Heard on BBC World Service last night - a spokesman from Ford talking about the new engine, due to be introduced in 2009. Apparently it stops automatically when the car is staionary, then restarts itself when you depress the accelerator. Wonderful for fuel consumption, emissions etc. Quite revolutionary. Except that he then admitted that they had introduced something similar about five years ago, but it didn't really catch on - "not seamless enough", whatever that means.
But - I'm quite sure this feature was available on a car in the twenties, and quite possibly before the First World War. I think it was called SilentStart, or something like that, but can't remember the manufacturer - any ideas out there?
Wonder what they will invent next - synchromesh? Four wheel brakes?
Geoff MacK