An automatic transmission is a multi-speed transmission used in motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving conditions.
Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case providing an additional output drive shaft and, in many instances, additional gear ranges.
Overdrive is the operation of an automobile cruising at sustained speed with reduced engine revolutions per minute (RPM), leading to better fuel consumption, lower noise, and lower wear. The term is ambiguous. The most fundamental meaning is that of an overall gear ratio between engine and wheels, such that the car is over-geared, and cannot reach its potential top speed, i.e. the car could travel faster if it were in a lower gear, with the engine turning at higher RPM.
The Pontiac Tempest is an automobile that was produced by Pontiac from 1960 to 1970, and again from 1987 to 1991.
The Y platform, or Y body, designation has been used twice by the General Motors Corporation to describe a series of vehicles all built on the same basic body and sharing many parts and characteristics. The first was for a group of entry-level compacts including the conventional front-engine compacts built by GM divisions Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac from 1961 to 1963. The second, and current, incarnation is used for a high-end rear-wheel drive sports-car platform from the 1970s through the 2000s.
A transaxle is a single mechanical device which combines the functions of an automobile's transmission, axle, and differential into one integrated assembly. It can be produced in both manual and automatic versions.
A motorhome is a type of self-propelled recreational vehicle (RV) which offers mobile living accommodation.
The GMC Motorhome is a recreational vehicle that was manufactured by the GMC Truck & Coach Division of General Motors for model years 1973–1978 in Pontiac, Michigan, USA — as the only complete motorhome built by a major auto/truck manufacturer. Manufactured in 23 and 26 ft lengths, the design was noted for its front-wheel drive and its low profile, fully integrated body.
TorqueFlite is the trademarked name of Chrysler Corporation's automatic transmissions, starting with the three-speed unit introduced late in the 1956 model year as a successor to Chrysler's two-speed PowerFlite. In the 1990s, the TorqueFlite name was dropped in favor of alphanumeric designations, although the latest Chrysler eight-speed automatic transmission has revived the name.
A direct-shift gearbox is an electronically-controlled, dual-clutch, multiple-shaft, automatic gearbox, in either a transaxle or traditional transmission layout, with automated clutch operation, and with fully-automatic or semi-manual gear selection. The first dual-clutch transmissions were derived from Porsche in-house development for the Porsche 962 in the 1980s.
Highway Products, Inc., based in Kent, Ohio, was formed by Joseph Thomas 'Joe' Myers in 1960 to manufacture truck bodies for specialty markets such as mobile post offices. In addition to mail trucks and mobile post offices the company also manufactured small boats for both military and commercial use, missile launchers and engines. The company diversified into small transit buses and motorhomes in the late 1960s and early 1970s and was sold to Alco Standard Corporation in 1970; the Highway Products division of Alco Standard declared bankruptcy in 1975, ending production.
The Turbo-Hydramatic 125 was the first in a line of automatic transmissions from General Motors designed for transverse engine application. Introduced in 1980, the line evolved into today's 4T40/45/65/80 line.
Turbo-Hydramatic 425 was an automatic transmission developed and produced by General Motors. The THM425 was a derivative of the THM400; most parts directly interchange and some others will interchange with minor modifications. The internal parts spin the opposite direction in the THM425; the helical angle of the planetary gears is "reversed" and the one-way clutches freewheel in the opposite direction, for example. The THM425 was developed for the 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado and the 1967 Cadillac Eldorado. A lighter-duty transmission known as the THM325 replaced the THM425 in both car lines after the 1978 model year. 1979 and later longitudinal engine front-wheel drive vehicles used the THM325. The THM325 became the THM325-4L with an overdrive added in 1982, but all vehicles using this transmission switched to more-conventional transverse engine mounting in 1986. Bellhousing pattern used the 1967-90 Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac-Cadillac V8 pattern throughout its entire lifecycle.
The Maserati GranTurismo and GranCabrio are a series of a grand tourers produced by the Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati. They succeeded the two-door V8 grand tourers offered by the company, the Maserati Coupé and Spyder.
Holiday Rambler Corporation is an American corporation which primarily manufactures recreational vehicles. It was founded in 1953. In 1961, Holiday Rambler’s introduction of aluminum body framing ushered in a new era of lighter, stronger and more durable recreational vehicles (RVs). This aluminum frame (Alumaframe) became the standard for lighter and stronger RVs for 40 years. Holiday Rambler was also responsible for many firsts; built-in refrigerators, holding tanks and aerodynamic radiused corners. As Holiday Rambler moved into motorhomes, they were the first with tag axles and the kitchen slide-out revolutionized "interior engineering" in the field. Holiday Rambler was sold to Harley-Davidson in 1986 and later in 1996 to the Monaco Coach Corporation where its future, then under Navistar International Corp., was difficult in 2010 as it was for most motorhome manufacturers.
The Winnebago LeSharo is a Class B (low-profile) recreational vehicle that was assembled by Winnebago Industries from 1983 to 1992. Though also using a cutaway van chassis like larger motorhomes, the LeSharo was designed to optimize fuel economy. Alongside its lower-roof exterior, the vehicle used the chassis of the front-wheel drive Renault Trafic commercial van. While the model line itself was not sold in North America, the Trafic shared its powertrain with several Renault and Jeep vehicles sold domestically.
A drivetrain is the group of components that deliver mechanical power from the prime mover to the driven components. In automotive engineering, the drivetrain is the components of a motor vehicle that deliver power to the drive wheels. This excludes the engine or motor that generates the power. In marine applications, the drive shaft will drive a propeller, thruster, or waterjet rather than a drive axle, while the actual engine might be similar to an automotive engine. Other machinery, equipment and vehicles may also use a drivetrain to deliver power from the engine(s) to the driven components.
