13 Ways Women Revolutionized Car Design

Since the late 1800s, women have laid some of the most important groundwork for the automotive industry through inventions and innovations, but they don’t get nearly enough credit for their contributions.

If not for legends such as Bertha Benz, Margaret Wilcox, and Mary Anderson, the automotive world may not have grown to become what it is today.

Let’s look at 13 important women who revolutionized how cars are designed and built.

Bertha Benz — Brake Lining

Bertha Benz is one of the most crucial individuals in automotive history. She was the wife of Carl Benz, who invented the gasoline-powered automobile. In 1888, Bertha became the first person to make a long-distance road trip in an automobile when she and her two sons drove 66 miles from Mannheim to Pforzheim in Germany.

As important as this trip was for the marketing purposes of the Benz Patent Motorwagen, Bertha is also the one who invented brake lining — the consumable surface of brake pads and shoes.

Mary Anderson & Charlotte Bridgwood — Windshield Wiper

After watching drivers get out and manually wipe the windows, Mary Anderson figured there had to be a better and easier way to wipe the windshields. In 1903, she invented the first manual windshield wiper lever that could be operated while still inside the vehicle. Sadly, she never made any money from it, as the automobile hadn’t caught on yet.

Ten years later, in 1913, another woman, Charlotte Bridgwood, improved upon Anderson’s invention when she created the first automatic windscreen wipers.

Florence Lawrence — Turn Signal

Florence Lawrence was Charlotte Bridgwood’s daughter, and just like her mother, she made some significant contributions to the car industry.

Lawrence developed the first automatic signaling arm, an invention that would evolve into the turn signal. Florence also created a mechanical brake signal and a new type of braking system. There was more to her than just automotive inventions, though, as she’s also known as the “first movie star,” appearing in over 270 films.

Margaret Wilcox — Car Heater

Margaret Wilcox was a mechanical engineer who invented the first car heater in 1893. Her invention used the engine’s hot water to heat the vehicle’s interior, making it much more comfortable to drive in cold weather.

Her idea was so good that it was later improved upon and became a standard feature in cars. The concept is still used in car heaters today. Over the years, Wilcox continued working on automotive inventions, but none were as useful or popular as the heater.

Suzanne Vanderbilt — Glove Box and Retractable Seat Belt

In the 1950s, General Motors hired six women, known as the “Damsels of Design,” to design car interiors catering to their growing female demographic. Suzanne Vanderbilt was one of the women, and she had some excellent design ideas, such as glove boxes and retractable seat belts, both of which are still used today.

While most of the female designers on the team left in the 1960s, Vanderbilt remained with GM for the next 23 years. She was named Chief Designer for Chevrolet’s Interiors Studio in 1972.

Dorothy Levitt — Rearview Mirrors

Dorothy Levitt was one of the first British female racing drivers. She was also a journalist and an author, and wrote a book called The Woman and the Car: A Chatty Little Handbook for all Women who Motor or Who Want to Motor.

In her book, she provided tips on buying, owning, and driving a car. She also mentioned that women should “carry a little hand mirror in a convenient place when driving” and “hold the mirror aloft from time to time in order to see behind while driving in traffic.” Inspired by her idea, carmakers introduced the rearview mirror in 1914.

Hedy Lamarr — GPS And WiFi

For whatever reason, it seems actresses and technology go hand in hand. We’ve previously mentioned Florence Lawrence, and in 1941, Hedy Lamarr, another actress, invented and filed a patent for the wireless transmission technology used for GPS and WiFi.

Today, we all use this technology through our smartphones and cars, and we have the star from movies like Algiers, and Samson and Delilah to thank for it.

Katharine Blodgett — Non-Reflective Glass

Vehicles are much safer now, thanks to scientist and inventor Katharine Blodgett. Early cars used regular glass for the windshield, which meant you’d get reflections and glare, which could be distracting.

Blodgett had a Ph.D. in Physics from Cambridge and became the first woman hired by General Electric. During her time there, she found a way to make glass surfaces non-reflective. Her brand-new technology wasn’t just used for windshields, though, but also for camera lenses, glasses, movie projectors, computer screens, and submarine periscopes.

Margaret Wu — Engine Lubricants

Margaret Wu worked for ExxonMobil from the late 1970s through 2009 and revolutionized the field of synthetic lubricants. Her work improved energy efficiency and reduced waste oil, and it changed how lubricants are designed and synthesized.

She holds over 100 U.S. patents and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2022. Products made from Wu’s work are found in race cars, passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, and even wind turbines used to create power for EVs.

Helen Blair Bartlett — Spark Plug Insulators

Helen Blair Bartlett was actually a geologist, but along the way, she took an interest in spark plugs. Early spark plug insulators were made of molded porcelain, which was known to break and had to be cleaned regularly.

Using her knowledge of petrology and mineralogy, Dr. Bartlett invented spark plug insulating materials using alumina ceramics. Encasing the spark plugs made them more durable and able to handle high temperatures and voltage, which meant engines would run more cleanly and efficiently. Her spark plug design was so good that they are still used today.

Stephanie Kwolek — Kevlar

Stephanie Kwolek was a researcher at DuPont’s textile fiber laboratory in Buffalo, New York. In the early 1960s, she was developing a fiber to reinforce radial tires, and the work involved manipulating strands of carbon-based molecules. By accident, she discovered a lightweight material that’s fire-resistant and five times stronger than steel — Kevlar.

Kevlar is best known for its use in bulletproof vests, but it’s also used extensively in the automotive industry, for example, in tires or race cars.

Michelle Christensen — Supercar Design

When women are involved with car design, it’s usually related to its interior features. Women rarely design the vehicle’s exterior, especially if it’s a supercar, but Michelle Christensen did something no woman had ever done before.

She was hired by Acura in 2005 and advanced to become the lead designer for the 2016 Honda/Acura NSX. From there, she went on to become Senior Manager of Design with Nissan Design America and vice president of design for Karma Automotive.

Mary Barra — The CEO Pushing GM Into EVs and Driverless Tech

Mary Barra was appointed CEO of General Motors in 2014, making her the first female head of a major car manufacturer.

Under Barra, GM has made several moves into driverless and electric-powered cars and even acquired other companies, such as Strobe, a startup in driverless technology. In June 2022, Barra said the GM has a “clear priority to accelerate our EV plans and to solely offer EVs by 2035.”