From Frank Pierce comes this most interesting information on the state-of-the-art rally calculator of the 1950s and 1960s. The CURTA calculator was an ingenious device that did mechanically, what our hand-held calculators do electronically today. Frank was an active rallyist back in the day and he offers this historical perspective on rally calculators before our space program ushered in the miracle electronic age we enjoy today:
More information on rallies. In the fifties, transistor calculators didn’t exist. Most rally navigators used a Frederick Post 10″ circular binary slide rule to make time/distance calculations to compare with stop watch readings and determine if you were on time at odometer readings. Accuracy was good, but not perfect. The only machines available to make accurate multiplication or division calculations were Marchant calculators. It was electrro/mechanical, the size of a typewriter, cost about $1200.00, and ran on 120 volt A.C. power (static inverters were not yet invented). For the rally pro, there was a small hand-held mechanical made by Contina Ltd. in Mauren, Liechtenstein (no kidding) called a Curta Calculator. It was expensive (about $200.00), but very accurate to eleven decimal places. It was nicknamed “coffee grinder” because pf a crank on the top, used to make entries. My 1955 Austin-Healey A100 cost $2950.00 with license and tax (to put “fifties” money in perspective). You don’t often think about technology advances, but today’s $10.00 digital calculator does the job better (and has memory!)…………Frank Pierce
For a closer look at the Curta rally calculator go to this web site: http://www.vcalc.net/cu.htm
Here are some pictures of the Curta:
I used a Curta Calculator in the mid 60’s for land surveying and was wondering if any were still available
Thanks
Jim Anderson
Hi Jim. They show up on eBay from time-to-time. They are no longer sold new.
I still have my Curta – a Type 1 #77061 which is in pristine condition. There is a terrific Curta site called the Curta Calculator page at http://www.vcalc.net whith tons of history, information and “for sale/wanted” ads on the “Pepper Grinder” pAlso has a registry. The site has an amazing, exploded-view poster of the Curta and its “zillons” of parts. The Curta was and engineering tool not only adapted for rallying, but also by the military.
i have a curta clculator made in liechtenstin (custom union with Switzerland by Contina Ltd Mauren system Curt Herzakark number is 507984 and it has markings on it, scrtched on
x-1343 AHD
i would like to sell it, but no one seems to know anything about it, can you help me out, would truly apprecaite it – we bought it in Indiana about 40 year ago, and it works, no instructions – please rely to aboe mrked calculator – thans for all yor hel- scottsdale, ariz.