Philip G. Gott

Philip G. Gott has received the ASME History and Heritage Engineer-Historian Award for 1993, for his book Changing Gears: The Development of the Automotive Transmission, SAE Historical Series (Warrendale, Pa.: Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc., 1991). Gott's book is an in-depth examination of the modern transmission, including some personal and social glimpses of the people and the times. Of its concise yet comprehensive quality, one reviewer said Gott captured the essence of a century of research.

"It is not easy for any individual or group to honor all of those engineering pioneers who did so much to lay the foundations for the modern automotive transmission," says Gott. "Their work should be recognized, not only for its own merit, but also as an inspiration to those who may be considering engineering as a career."

In Changing Gears, Gott acknowledged, "The early authors and transmission pioneers have long since departed our company. Their technical publications are the only direct link we have with much of their work. The surviving examples of the transmissions that made it into production tell us only what was done. Without the written word to help us understand, the how and why would be left entirely to our own speculation. Indeed the production units are only the tip of the iceberg. The many successful designs that were left on the workbench due to lack of funds or poor timing are true testimony to the innovative minds of early engineers. The technical publications are the only evidence we have of those important branches of the automatic transmission's family tree."

The impetus to write Changing Gears, according to Gott, came from previous research used to establish the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) regulations in the mid-1970s. At the time, he was senior consultant at Arthur D. Little, which involved him in programs for original equipment, aftermarket component or material suppliers, and agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency, US Department of Transportation, and NASA. He has been involved in various engineering research and development programs, the development of emission-control techniques for natural-gas-fueled engines, and new inventions for investment firms.

Gott left Little in 1985 to work with Barrack Technology Limited as vice-president, responsible for the establishment and operation of its US engine research and development laboratory and consulting operation. He built a business around an embryonic combustion technology, handling the start-up phases and positioning it as a technical and business resource for the US auto industry.

In 1988 Gott founded G&G Associates, a Massachusetts consulting firm, through which he provides technology forecasting, product planning, and the development of technically driven business strategies for mechanical and electronic component suppliers, primary metal and resin producers, and material compounders as well as original equipment manufacturers.

Gott holds a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering, having graduated in 1970. In addition to ASME, he is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers and Pi Tau Sigma. He also has won championships sponsored by the Sports Car Club of America, and he restores cars and trucks from the 1920-70 period.

"The transmission tames the spinning fury of the engine, born of eternal fire, and allows it to be harnessed by the most novice, frail, or delicate of drivers. . . . The development of the transmission was truly the keystone that made possible the personal freedom and mobility enjoyed today." -Philip G. Gott, Changing Gears