What quality, demonstrated by his focus on real-world operational controls, did Spikes prioritize over theoretical maximum speed?
Answer
Reliability under real-world stress
By focusing intensely on mechanisms like the gear shift, automatic brake, and turn signal—components that are used constantly under various stresses—Spikes demonstrated a clear prioritization of reliability in practical, everyday driving scenarios over achieving peak performance metrics in ideal conditions. The complexity of early manual shifting in stop-and-go traffic illustrates that preventing stalls or accidents due to operational failure was deemed more critical by Spikes than achieving marginal increases in top speed or raw engine power output.
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