1964 Valiant "Get Runnin & Drivin"
Hey it wasn't so old it used VACUUM TUBES LOL. Actually, some people experimented "way" back when, using what is called a "thyratron tube" to switch ignition. A thyratron, "loosely" is comparable to the modern SCR (silicon controlled rectifier)
Here:
http://worldphaco.com/uploads/THE_TUNG_SOL_EI-4_CDI_UNIT_FROM_MOTION_Inc..pdf
From Wiki:
Capacitor discharge ignition - Wikipedia
Thyratron
They were unsuccessful, but did provide much data on the advantages of such a system, should one be built. Namely; a fast voltage rise time to fire fouled or wet spark plugs, high energy throughout the RPM range resulting in better starting, more power and economy, and lower emissions. A few engineers, scientists, and hobbyists had built CD ignitions throughout the 1950s using thyratrons (tube type). However, thyratrons were unsuitable for use in automobiles for two reasons. They required a warm-up period which was a nuisance, and were vulnerable to vibration which drastically shortened their lifetime. In an automotive application, the thyratron CD ignition would fail in either weeks or months. The unreliability of those early thyratron CD ignitions made them unsuitable for mass production despite providing short term benefits. One company at least, Tung-Sol (a manufacturer of vacuum tubes) marketed a thyratron CD ignition, model Tung-Sol EI-4 in 1962, but it was expensive. Despite the failings of thyratron (tube type) CD ignitions, the improved ignition that they gave made them a worthwhile addition for some drivers. For the Wankel powered NSU Spider of 1964, Bosch resurrected its thyratron method for a CD ignition and used this up until at least 1966. It suffered the same reliability problems as the Tung-Sol EI-4.
Hey it wasn't so old it used VACUUM TUBES LOL. Actually, some people experimented "way" back when, using what is called a "thyratron tube" to switch ignition. A thyratron, "loosely" is comparable to the modern SCR (silicon controlled rectifier)
Here:
http://worldphaco.com/uploads/THE_TUNG_SOL_EI-4_CDI_UNIT_FROM_MOTION_Inc..pdf
From Wiki:
Capacitor discharge ignition - Wikipedia
Thyratron
They were unsuccessful, but did provide much data on the advantages of such a system, should one be built. Namely; a fast voltage rise time to fire fouled or wet spark plugs, high energy throughout the RPM range resulting in better starting, more power and economy, and lower emissions. A few engineers, scientists, and hobbyists had built CD ignitions throughout the 1950s using thyratrons (tube type). However, thyratrons were unsuitable for use in automobiles for two reasons. They required a warm-up period which was a nuisance, and were vulnerable to vibration which drastically shortened their lifetime. In an automotive application, the thyratron CD ignition would fail in either weeks or months. The unreliability of those early thyratron CD ignitions made them unsuitable for mass production despite providing short term benefits. One company at least, Tung-Sol (a manufacturer of vacuum tubes) marketed a thyratron CD ignition, model Tung-Sol EI-4 in 1962, but it was expensive. Despite the failings of thyratron (tube type) CD ignitions, the improved ignition that they gave made them a worthwhile addition for some drivers. For the Wankel powered NSU Spider of 1964, Bosch resurrected its thyratron method for a CD ignition and used this up until at least 1966. It suffered the same reliability problems as the Tung-Sol EI-4.