ABSTRACT
From its inception the automobile has made a sonic impact on society. Throughout its history, the car has projected a variety of sounds either generated by operating the vehicle (often unwanted) or intentionally produced, such as horns and later radios and stereo systems. The sonic component of cars has meant that they have lent themselves well to musical metaphors and to thinking about the automobile in musical and sonic terms. The “pitch” of an engine, for example, is one of the prime characteristics that distinguishes one car from another, and forms one of the most important components of model identification for mechanics and manufacturers. In this chapter I look at the various uses of musical concepts, language, and aesthetic practices as applied to the automotive industry, and identify various sonic and musical components of automotive manufacturing and engineering culture, including: the penchant for using musical car names; the musical terms and technologies that are used to tune, codify, and identify engine sounds; and the seemingly endless quest for a quiet ride and pristine listening environment, typically drawn from stereo and headphone listening technologies, that marks much automotive design.
