The Armstrong with its mechanical advancements is a wonder for its time. The car has an electric or magnetic transmission that was presented more than 20 years before the Owen Magnetic became famous after World War I. The Owen Magnetic drive mechanism offers no direct connection between the engine and the rear wheels. A generator and a horseshoe shaped magnet are attached to the rear of the engine's crankshaft. On the forward end of the car's drive shaft, an electric motor with an armature is fitted into an air space inside the whirling magnet. Electrical current, transmitted by the engine's generator and magnet, is transferred to the armature of the electrical motor, providing the energy to turn the drive shaft and propel the engine's rear wheels.
The Armstrong also incorporates electric inlet valves, much like cars of today.
Robin Loder, a world-renowned restorer of pre-1900 cars, made a tremendous effort to preserve every wooden plank and all steel or iron forgings. Though it is far easier to fabricate new parts, he chose instead to restore the existing wood planks and iron parts, and substituted no replica components.
