The History of the Motor Car DVD

The history of the automobile is a fascinating story filled with passion, innovation, ingenuity and hard work. This DVD brings together all five parts of BP's magnificent documentary series detailing the development of the motorcar right through to the ground-breaking Mini of the late 1950s.

Each of the five films from the BP Video Library charts a different era, with footage shot inside leading motoring museums around the world combined with wonderful colour film of the most significant, and earliest, models in automobile history - back in action against town, village and countryside backdrops rather than behind the velvet ropes of static displays.

We begin at the dawn of motoring, in the 1800s, when pioneers hunted for a way to replace horse power with horsepower. The film explains, with rare footage of original working designs, how steam-powered vehicles cleared the way for the internal combustion engine, fuelled first by hydrogen and only later by petrol.

Our journey continues through the arrival of the famous names including Daimler, Benz, Peugeot, Renault, Rolls Royce and Fiat, and we compare the development of the car on both sides of the English Channel, as well as both sides of the Atlantic.

We follow the development of the mass market, led by Ford's Model T, the reinvention of the industry following World War One, the important role of motor racing, the stunning craftsmanship of Bugatti and Alfa Romeo, and then the horrendous impact of the Depression, when the hundreds of independent car builders were reduced to just dozens.

The story continues into the 1930s, when the industry combated plummeting sales with innovation and ingenuity, including new engine configurations and the arrival of the first popular diesel car. Then we discover how World War Two led to a new order for motor manufacturers, with Britain leading the way and major names recovering and adapting to drive forward development and create the blueprint which underpins car design to this day.

History of the Motor Car uncovers some startling facts, including the revelation that speed traps are nothing new, and that militant opposition to traffic policing in the early 1900s gave us one of our most revered motoring organisations! Plus, we find out if it can really be true that the first car to reach 100kph was powered by electricity.

Technical details:
Format: PAL DVD
Region code: 0 (All regions)
Running time: 128 mins
Language: English
FSK: No age rating