"We shall never run the risk of being confined in a coupe with, insufferable people."
Otto Julius on automobile travel versus train
Like most "firsts" in automotive history, just who devised the first clutch is debatable. Almost all historians agree that the clutch was developed in Germany in the 1880s and some of them credit Gottlieb Daimler (1834-1900) and Wilhelm Maybach (1846-1929) with its invention.
Daimler met Maybach while they were working for Nikolaus Otto, the inventor of the internal combustion engine. In 1882 the two set up their own company, and from 1885 to 1886 they built a four-wheeled vehicle with a petrol engine and multiple gears. The gears were external, however, and engaged by winding belts over pulleys to drive each selected gear. In 1889, they developed a closed four-speed gearbox and a
friction clutch to power the gears. This car was the first to be marketed by the Daimler Motor Company in 1890.
Without a clutch, if the car engine is running the wheels keep turning. For the car to stop without stalling, the wheels and engine must be separated by a clutch. The clutch also allows power to gradually be applied to the wheels, allowing for smoother starts and helping to avoid grinding gears when shifting.
A friction clutch consists of a flywheel mounted to the engine side. The clutch originates from the drive shaft and is a large metal plate covered with a frictional material. When the flywheel and clutch make contact, power is then transmitted to the wheels.
