[Functional Artist]

Most old cars didn't have brake boosters (sport or luxury)
...& they mostly just had drum brakes, on all 4 wheels

IMO brake boosters were invented so girls could drive (cars)
...& power steering
...& the automatic transmission too

 

[piotrsko]

I believe power assist was invented as a method for providing more force in steering and stopping ever heavier cars before more efficient equipment was invented. Ever notice the steering wheel has gotten smaller over the years? Betcha you cant physically fit a 62 Gm manual steering wheel in a modern anything.

 

[remy_martian]

Furry dice only slow down convertibles, so useless on a GT.

 

[brian_]

Most old cars didn't have brake boosters (sport or luxury)
...& they mostly just had drum brakes, on all 4 wheels

The two features are not unrelated. Drum brakes take less actuation force than disk brakes, so switching from drums to disks created the need for assist. Among street-driven vehicles, only very light cars ever had disk brakes with assist; our Triumph Spitfire is one of them, and the pedal effort is high enough that's it's clear that unassisted braking would be problematic for a heavier vehicle.

 

[MattsAwesomeStuff]

Found a picture of the 3 pedals. Look at how goofy it is to worm its way around the hole where the steering column goes...

I think it's safe to say it's definitely not going to fit the Prius pedal as-is. :/