Ralph Teeter, president of Perfect Circle Corp.(which makes piston rings) was riding in a the car with his attorney, Harry Lindsey. The year was 1935. Lindsey was the kind of driver that would floor the engine for instant, and then take his foot off the gas and coast along. The erratic jerky, driving annoyed Teeter so much, that he got the inspiration to invent a speed control device.
After working on the idea in his basement for 10 years, he applied for a Patent for the device, which he called "Speedostat", a safety mechanism that would also help conserve gas. Another 13 years past, before Chrysler became the first auto manufacturer to offer cruise control. On the 1958 Chrysler Imperial , New Yorker, and Windsor. But Teeter's life wasn't easy. Teeter was, blinded at the age of five as a result of a shop accident. But by the age of 12, teeter and his cousin built their own automobile using scrap parts. Teeter and his cousin built their own automobile using scrap parts.
Teeter not only went on to invent a speed control, but his numerous contributions to the automotive industry inspired his daughter to write a book about his remarkable life, "One Man's Vision." The life of Automotive Pioneer Ralph R. Teeter.
