fluid drive

American  

noun

Automotive.

1. a power coupling for permitting a smooth start in any gear, consisting of two vaned rotors in a sealed casing filled with oil, such that one rotor, driven by the engine, moves the oil to drive the other rotor, which in turn drives the transmission.

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fluid drive British  

noun

1. Also called: fluid coupling.   fluid clutch.   fluid flywheel.  a type of coupling for transmitting power from the engine of a motor vehicle to the transmission, using a torque converter

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Etymology

Origin of fluid drive

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Then there was my father’s 1949 Dodge with white-wall tires and “fluid drive” that was the talk of the neighborhood.

From Washington Post

They may not have the lively journalistic bounce of an Alvin Toffler or the fluid drive of a Vance Packard, but Social Standing's scholarship adds some fascinating discriminations.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Ukrainians, moreover, displayed a talent for close-order drill that should turn the Radio City Rockettes green, plus body control that enabled them to shift speeds with the smoothness of a car accelerating in fluid drive.

From Time Magazine Archive

Chrysler was the first to introduce four-wheel hydraulic brakes, the all-steel body, fluid drive and dozens of other mechanical advances.

From Time Magazine Archive

Nature's drive is always fluid drive, Collis reminds the reader: at least 80% of every living cell consists of water.

From Time Magazine Archive