It is estimated that over 100,000 patents went into the creation of the first practical automobile. At the end of the nineteenth century, the steam car had evolved considerably and was being sold commercially in the United States and the United Kingdom. But manufacturers were still using a lever device, called the steering tiller, to direct the vehicle, which made steering motor cars difficult and strenuous.
Alexander Winton (1860-1932), a keen cyclist and owner of Winton Automobiles, had been trying to replace the tiller on his car with a system modeled on a bicycle's steering. He came up with a circular wheel with a tube running down to a steering box linked to all four wheels. The mechanism in the steering box translated rotation of the wheel into linear action, and gave drivers increased control of their vehicles.
Even Henry Ford, inventor and founder of the Ford Motor Company, was converted to the new steering system. Prior to the Grosse Pointe Race in 1901, he had been given one of Winton's steering mechanisms, complete with steering wheel assembly, because Winton believed that Ford's device was dangerous. Ford went on to beat Winton, who had been tipped to win the race, but using Winton's steering system.
Unfortunately, Winton's local competitors were simultaneously working on a very similar system and beat him to the patent. The Ohio Automobile Company, later renamed the Packard Motor Car Company, added their version of the steering wheel, based on Winton's early developments, to the second car they launched in 1899. It was immediately successful, and Winton, whose company custom- made every vehicle, found the competition difficult and was forced to stop production in 1924.
