Originally Posted by Rick
there is a lot morethan 7 bulbs in a modern car, think of the dash. Gears have been around much longer - but they seem most likely asnwers so far suggested.
Yeah but most bulbs on modern cars aren't incandescant, they are LED now.
I did a google search and couldn't find any other significant 1870's discoveries relating to car use.
I thought maybe it could be 6-7 different synthetic oils but that wouldn't be a device and 1870 would be too early.
Other things I considered were gas struts, coloured lenses, sealed ball bearings, toughened glass panels and lubrication systems. But they don't fit the profile.