At General Motors in 1936, vehicle testing was remarkably sophisticated. See all the equipment and techniques at work in this original Chevrolet film.

Like many of the Chevrolet films produced back in the day by Jam Handy of Detroit, this one, titled Wind, Weather, and Wheels, was designed to capture the interest of a general audience. So the script writers take a few minutes to get around to the actual subject—we call it the “first, the earth cooled” method of storytelling. But at around three minutes in (feel free to skip ahead) we get to the good stuff: a tour of the General Motors Proving Ground and a detailed look at the testing procedures for the ’36 Chevrolet.

For the mid-thirties, the test hardware is relatively sophisticated. At 4:40 we encounter a vehicle-sized pendulum for locating the center of gravity, and at 5:40 there’s an early chassis dynomometer with full instrumentation. Steering effort is checked with a wheel-mounted torqueometer, while a fifth wheel validates fuel consumption. And at around 9:30, a vacuum pump and smoke machine are used to test the cabin seal. We enjoy seeing this old gear at work, and along the way, there are some excellent views of the Proving Ground in its early, more rustic form. The facility, still a busy place today, is modestly described here as “the greatest outdoor laboratory in the world.”

In 1936, Chevrolet was not the best-selling car in the USA. In fact, Ford beat Chevrolet in total volume in ’34 through ’37, no doubt due in part to the selling power of Ford’s 85 hp V8. But with 79 hp, Chevy’s overhead-valve inline six was at least in the game, and a redesigned six the following year matched the Ford V8 in rated output. At $495 to $655, Chevrolet undercut Ford in pricing by a few bucks in ’36, losing to Ford by a mere 12,000 units. Video follows.