Why Drive and not Forward?

Good question! I honestly don't know the answer, but this page about the Hydra-Matic suggests narrowing down the search to the immediate postwar years:

"...N-H-L-R, in 1946 it was changed to N-Dr-Lo-R. Later it was changed to P-R-N-D-L to reflect the addition of a "PARK" feature. " My guess on *why* would be that D-for-drive looks the least like the other letters.

I've crossposted to rec.autos.antique in search of somebody who has either researched or personally remembers those early days of automatics...

Cheers,

--Joe

Just a guess but if you used F for Forward instead of D for Drive you would have PRNFL, were the F could be mistaken for First not Forward.

Dunno. I'm still trying to figure out why some oil caps say OIL on them and why some say 710 on them.

The 710 caps are for British right hand drive imports.... Gee you didn't know that!! ;->

But I've seen them on brand new domestics fresh off the car hauler.

The terminology is a left over from the early days of automatics when we had P for push, L for leave out, D for drag and R for race, N for nuthin'. It cost me my allowance forever when I decided to Drag the old man's Packard. All hell broke loose when I shifted to Race.

Lugnut

I thought R was when you wanted to Ram the car behind you?

--scott

"Engage the drivegear" terminology carried over from something else?

Dave

Maybe that's where I screwed the pooch!!

Lugnut

That's what the F is for.

John.

Maybe I should just keep working with a stick.

Lugnut

Assuming that you are not from that era, I will point out that people used the term "first" for the startin gff forward gear and all those learning anew might think of F as first, not forward. Most people going backwards don't think of that as driving, but backing (up). f you want someone to back into a parking spot you don't say 'Drive into that spot." - you say "Back into that spot."

Just some thoughts from an OAP.....