Here’s a clever explanation of how center of gravity affects vehicle ride and handling in an original 1940 Chevrolet film.

This 1940 Chevrolet film follows the classic Jam Handy production formula we know so well. Because the films were often shown to movie theater audiences who weren’t really prepared for a lecture on automobile engineering, there’s a long introduction to ease the viewers into the subject. In this instance a couple of clowns, a toy sailboat, and racing cars, both models and full-sized, are employed to warm us up for a lesson on how a vehicle’s center of gravity influences its ride and handling qualities. We didn’t care that much for the creepy clowns, but the segment featuring vintage tether-control model racers was pretty cool.

At around the halfway mark in the film, there’s an interesting graphic that shows how, in the early decades of automobile development, a number of technical advances allowed the center of gravity to be progressively lowered. They included hypoid axles, better body and frame engineering, and smaller-diameter tires, and the result was a significant improvement in vehicle dynamics. And as the narrator points out, constant improvements in road construction greatly enabled that process. Now, there’s an aspect of automotive history we probably don’t give enough attention. Video below.