![Enews photo]( "Enews photo")
People have found parallel parking to be a pain for generations, so
Brooks Walker set out to solve the problem. He wasn't the first, but he
was probably among the last before engineers gave up on the idea. In the
1950s, when Walker was patenting several of his self-parking system
ideas, industry was racing into the future, and exposition crowds loved
the wizardry and gadgetry showcased during the prosperous postwar economy
.
The automobile was among the most futuristic machines, both in
appearance and appointments, and it's for this reason that the lack of
success of Walker's self-parking system is so puzzling.
In 1953, Walker modified a new Packard Cavalier sedan from his California business
,
Walker Research, and made it into one of the most famous postwar
Packards. Using a series of hydraulic pumps and lines, gears, and the
Packard's left left rear
and continental spare tire, Walker came up with his own unique system
for easing the parking procedure for car owners. Apparently nobody bit
on the idea, leaving Walker's prototype, his personal 1953 Packard
Cavalier, the only known example featuring the patented system.
Back to the Home of the Forward Look Network