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When did auto manufacturers first introduce parking assist technology? A quick check online would lead you to believe that it was 2003 when Toyota launched their parking assist system.
But wait!! Was that really the first innovation to assist a driver with parking? It turns out that as far back as 1933, one Brooks Walker of California installed a system in a Packard which utilized the spare tire (fifth wheel) by lowering it and raising the rear tires off the ground making maneuvering in and out of the parking space relatively easy. Brooks Walker was issued a patent for the device on Dec. 6, 1938, more than six years after it was filed on March 21, 1932. He Although he continued to perfect his system using things like hydraulics, GM continued to pass this invention by. Poor Mr. Brooks attempted to sell his system into the 1970’s with no success.
So remember, the next time that parking spot is detected by your car and you swing right into it, hands free, you can thank Mr. Brooks imagination and good old American ingenuity for believing that something like this was possible as far back as 1933.
Just What IS a "Fifth Wheel"?
