ABSTRACT
This abbreviated history starts with the Ford Model T; my grandfather had a 1922 open three-door model in which he used to go fi shing. The 1920s Ford Model T had driver-controlled ignition timing: a manual lever-controlled advance/retard. Later, for other cars, manual control was replaced by centrifugal spark advance. The driver of a 1920s Ford Model T controlled the mixture composition lean/ rich (fuel/air ratio). Advances in carburetors eliminated the chore of mixture control, and automatic chokes replaced the manual choke.
