Pickup trucks have been part of the fabric of American society for almost a century, and none more so than Ford’s F-Series. It was the first all-new offering from Ford following the post-war resumption of civilian car manufacturing, and was advertised as “Built Stronger to Last Longer.” SPECIFICATIONS Ford F-1 (first generation, 1948–52) The models […]

The story of this arresting-looking three-wheeler with its four-abreast seating begins in 1938, when a similar one-off car was commissioned by wealthy American playboy Joel Thorne. He regularly cruised the streets of Los Angeles in his three-wheeled wonder “Californian.” Davis Divan 1947 One man who was particularly taken with it was car salesman Glenn Gordon

At the Paris motor show in October 1948, the 2CV caused astonishment, even though it had been scheduled to appear eight years earlier. The original launch was cancelled when World War II broke out. All but one of the 250 prototypes were destroyed to preserve the ingenious car’s secrets. Citroën 2CV 1948 It expressed a

Most people have never heard of Cisitalia but, without the landmark Pininfarina design for the elfin 202 coupé, today’s cars would look very different. It was the first “modern” looking GT car to establish leading Italian stylists. Its hood was lower than its front wings; its headlights blended into the body rather than being freestanding; and

Even today, there’s something irresistibly futuristic about the Chrysler Thunderbolt. It’s also extremely evocative, its pontoon-like body having been the inspiration for millions of tin toy cars of the 1940-50s. Six Thunderbolts were created for a nationwide tour of American Chrysler dealers, intended to add spice to the introduction of the 1941 model-year Chrysler cars in

Japanese giant Toyota had an unsteady introduction to the car world. The company specialized in making textile looms until 1935, when a windfall on the sale of some patents persuaded Kiichiro Toyoda, son of the founder, to consider entering the car business. Toyota AA 1937 It was no surprise that the three prototypes he built

LOUIS CHEVROLET, THE SON OF A clockmaker, was born on Christmas Day 1878 in Switzerland. The family later moved to Burgundy, France. The Chevrolets were far from wealthy; while still a boy, Louis was duty-bound to find work in a vineyard, where he immediately showed the mechanical inventiveness he had learned from his father. Corvette

BMW WAS BORN in the boom years of the aviation industry. Gustav Otto (son of Nikolaus Otto, the gas-engine pioneer) had founded an aircraft factory near Munich, Germany, in 1911, and in 1913 Karl Rapp started an aero-engine works nearby. BMW 5 Series suspension In 1995 the third generation of BMW’s 5 Series used aluminum for the

It is incredible to think that, in 1934, just about the most futuristic car in the world hailed not from Germany or the US, but from Czechoslovakia. It was the centerpiece for the proud nation’s talents at the Berlin Auto Salon that year, and narrowly beat Chrysler’s Airflow into production as the world’s first customer-ready, scientifically-streamlined

The earliest thinking behind the MPV (multi-purpose vehicle or multi-passenger vehicle) format as we recognize today can be traced back to 1935 and William Bushnell Stout’s Scarab. This Detroit entrepreneur and inventor took his inspiration from airplanes. With his experience of designing an all-metal twin-engined aircraft, he decided to adapt the fuselage into a vehicle intended