For British motorists in the late 1970s, the miracle was that the climate for motoring changed so fast. Even though there had been two vicious energy crises and a long period of horrifyingly high inflation, fine cars were still being made, space was still available to drive them, and new […]
The Classic Years Era (1945 – 1970)
For Britain’s motor industry, the Second World War changed everything. When Britain’s car makers returned to their peacetime businesses in 1945, they faced a different reality. The market-place, clientele, social climate and economy had all been transformed. It was not only the factories which built the cars, but also the […]
Vintage and Thoroughbred Classic Cars (1919 – 1939)
Between 1919 and 1939, Britain’s motor industry went through an upheaval. Recovery from the First World War was followed by the glories of what is known as the ‘vintage’ era, the economic traumas of the Depression of the early 1930s, and the spirited recovery which preceded the outbreak of the […]
Veteran Era (1896 – 1914) : The Birth of The Motor Industry
Although a number of British motor cars can be counted among the ‘greats’ of the 20th century, Great Britain was not actually a motoring pioneer. The world’s first cars were built in Germany, where Nicolaus Otto designed the first practical petrol-driven engine, and where Benz and Daimler made the first […]