This short film was made nearly 80 years ago, but you won’t find a better basic tutorial on automotive differentials. Watch and enjoy. 

Though it was produced for Chevrolet by the famed Jam Handy studio of Detroit way back in 1937, in recent years this short film has become something of an internet classic. Several automotive websites have previously featured the movie, but frankly, we’ve found it just too good to pass up, so we’re running it, too.

We’re offering it here at Mac’s Motor City Garage because we’re big fans of clear, no-nonsense technical material, minus the technobabble. And we know you are, too, from the huge response to features like Driveshaft Angle and Phasing and Basics of the English Wheel. This film may have been made nearly eight decades ago, but we’ve yet to find anything that does a better job of explaining the principles and operation of the automotive differential. And while it starts out a little slowly, perhaps, the entire clip runs only eight minutes. Top off your coffee and watch this.