We know a lot of the most impactful automotive pioneers if not for the specifics of their deeds, for the fact their names have become recognizable brands. Think Henry Ford, David Buick, Walter Chrysler, Louis Chevrolet, and Karl Benz. These men were integral automotive pioneers and their work has been forever moralized by being born on today’s most popular vehicles. But not all automotive pioneers have had their names grace automotive dealerships. The good news is those less known automotive pioneers are not lost to time thanks to their being remembered in other ways, such as award-winning documentaries and places at the Automotive Hall of Fame. Automotive pioneers like Ralph R. Teetor.
Automotive Hall of Fame Ralph R. Teetor is a fascinating individual and without whom, today’s autonomous vehicle technologies would not likely have developed so quickly. Automotive Hall of Fame Ralph R. Teetor began his life surrounded by industry with a family who had a business that began with railroad inspection cars manufacturing and evolved into engine manufacturing. An accident as a young child left him permanently blind, but it did not take away his passion for engineering and inventing. Ralph R. Teetor went on to file over 50 patents that some would go on to improve automobiles the world over, the most important of which was the Cruise Control.