Original subtitles

C)

(hammering)

(fire crackling)

(cork pops)

(knocking)

(rising suspenseful music)

(explosion booming)

(townspeople screaming)

- I put my gloves to soak in some ligroin.

(flames crackling)

(moving into driving percussion music)

- [narrator] as the 20th century approaches,

industrialization is accelerating,

while steam powers an explosion of manufacturing

and transforms transportation.

But for most, getting around still requires a horse.

Now, a small group of visionary engineers

pioneer a radical new invention.

- These first cars were very rudimentary machines,

but this technology was really unheard of at the time.

- [narrator] the automobile unlocks the potential

of personalized travel--

it's hard to think of another invention

that has had a greater impact on the way we live our lives.

- [narrator] creating a new global industry

fueled by rivalry.

- They're all a bit obsessive, but they're all driven

by this singular goal of a brighter tomorrow.

- [narrator] as benz, daimler, maybach, rolls and royce,

ford,

bentley,

porsche,

honda,

and toyota

create the cars that made the world.

(church bell tolling f

- [narrator] working tirelessly in his home workshop in germany,

struggling inventor karl benz thinks he's solved a problem

that's stumped him for the last five years,

thanks to a chance nearby fire

triggered by a common cleaning solvent

that's made from petroleum and highly flammable

(flames crackling)

called ligroin.

- Karl benz realized that this cleaning solvent

could be a very potent fuel source.

- [narrator] if he can harness ligroin's explosive power,

he might just reinvent personal transportation.

For 60 years, steam-powered trains have moved the masses.

- Steam power is great if you don't care about the weight

and the size of the engine.

But if you're gonna move people around individually,

you have to get, really, more bang for your buck.

- [narrator] while some insist steam engines

can be made small enough to replace the horse and carriage,

benz believes in a radical alternative.

- Steam was popular, electricity was popular.

And then, out there, right on the outliers,

you had this crazy bunch of individuals going,

"no, no, no, what you need

"is this thing called the internal combustion engine."

- [narrator] internal combustion engines

inject a mixture of fuel and air into an enclosed cylinder,

ignite them, and use the energy of the explosion

to power motion.

But early versions are used only in heavy industry.

- They were these huge stationary pieces of machinery

that were loud, noisy, dirty, smoke-belching affairs.

- [narrator] now, benz wants to shrink this giant machine

and make it mobile.

To harness his new fuel source,

he builds a small internal combustion engine

onto a tricycle frame with carriage-style wheels.

- There was really no guide book

for how you build the automobile.

So, people like karl benz

were just experimenting and experimenting.

(engine sputtering)

- again.

- You're making a vehicle that's not a train,

it's not a horse and carriage. (engine chugging)

it's this completely new invention.

- It seemed like magic

and it was really quite beautiful.

- The tinkerers, the inventors,

they could see that this was just the start.

They were proving the concept.

And if they could demonstrate that the concept worked,

they could change society.

- [narrator] in 1886, benz is awarded a patent

for his invention.

He calls it the motorwagen.

But two years later,

benz is still tinkering,

to the frustration of his main financial backer,

his wife bertha,

who's secretly booked a spot for the motorwagen

at the 1889 paris world's fair.

- I think it's time people see it.

- It's not ready for a stage like that!

- [narrator] bertha's sunk her entire dowry

and future inheritance into his motorwagen.

- You have created something special.

- He didn't see it as much more than

a project to be optimized.

- We'll talk about this tomorrow.

- [jan] she saw that it could be extraordinary.

- Karl benz is almost this introverted engineer

and he needs bertha's marketing genius

to bring this car to life.

- [narrator] as bertha's frustration grows,

others are starting to crack the code

of internal combustion.

Just 80 miles away,

engineer gottlieb daimler has built a reputation

designing huge factory engines.

Like benz, he sees a radically different use for them.

- He was convinced that you could miniaturize these engines

and put them into vehicles.

- [narrator] while benz has claimed the first car patent,

daimler is determined to be first into production.

- Among these men, there's a lot of competition

because they all want to have the most power,

the best engine, the first working automobile.

- [narrator] he designs a car with four wheels

and an engine that's twice as powerful as the motorwagen.

But he needs investors to bring it to market.

- Looks like a horse carriage without any horses.

- Exactly!

Imagine going wherever you want, whenever you want,

never needing a horse.

- Everybody understood the market for industrial engines.

Daimler wanted to make engines

for a market that didn't even exist yet,

which is a very hard sell to investors.

- Karl benz patented a motor vehicle two years ago

and he still hasn't started selling it.

If we act now, we could beat him to the market.

- We already have a market.

- [narrator] the investors agree to fund

his factory engines, but won't commit to making cars.

- Are you still interested or not?

- Well, let's go and discuss the details.

- [narrator] the deal keeps daimler

and design partner wilhelm maybach working,

but it means giving up control of his company.

Meanwhile, for karl benz,

who's funded by his wealthy wife,

cashflow isn't the problem.

Confidence is.

- Karl would just tinker with this thing

over and over again 'til it met this platonic idea

in his head of what would be perfect.

Well, it was bertha who realized,

at some point you gotta get this thing actually on the road

and you actually have to show people what this thing can do.

(slow bass guitar music)

- bertha!

Bertha!

- [narrator] as karl stalls--

- [narrator] by 1888, new developments

like electric lights, moving pictures, and the telephone

are changing lives for the better.

Now, inventor karl benz is convinced

internal combustion engines will follow

by replacing the horse.

But after seven years developing his motorwagen,

he's yet to sell one.

Determined to bring her husband's invention

to the world,

bertha benz takes matters into her own hands.

(light suspenseful music)

- she wanted her husband's achievements

to be amplified so that everyone would know.

- [narrator] in a publicity stunt that's ahead of its time,

bertha sets out with her two sons,

hoping to drive to her mother's house 65 miles away.

- [jan] it was extraordinary!

Nothing had ever gone more than a couple of hundred meters.

- [narrator] but world's firsts don't come easily.

The tiny one-cylinder engine

limits their speed to a fast walk.

And the motorwagen's fuel tank only carries enough ligroin

to drive about 30 miles.

- Finally, it gasps and it runs out of fuel.

"everybody out," she says,

"we're going to push it to the next village."

- [narrator] luckily, while gasoline is rare

and hard to come by,

ligroin is a readily available household cleaning product.

- A key part for internal combustion fuel

is you have to be able to get it,

and you could go to a local apothecary

and they might actually have ligroin there.

- I need to purchase some ligroin.

Five liters, more if you have it.

- I'm sure it musta made a scene,

seeing a formally-dressed woman

buy this solvent for this crazy machine.

I'm sure nobody had any idea what the hell was going on.

- This is all I have.

- Thank you, sir.

(suspenseful percussion music)

- [narrator] but fuel isn't her only problem.

- Bertha wasn't just a driver, she was a no-joke mechanic.

She used a hat pin to clean out the fuel line

and then used part of her garter and wrapped it around

to repair the spark plug wires.

She took it upon herself to do exactly what had to be done,

which is show the world this is a viable machine.

(engine chugging)

- here we go.

- [narrator] bertha and her sons

complete their 65-mile journey in 12 hours

and announce their achievement to the world.

- She sent telegrams to newspapers

in berlin, paris,

rome, london, and all the way to the united states.

- [narrator] it's the ultimate proof of concept.

- Bertha's road trip showed that you can travel

where you wanted, when you wanted.

You weren't constrained

by where the nearest train station was.

It really proved

this entire idea of this new invention, the automobile.

- [narrator] bertha's bold move

convinces karl to make one of his own.

(dramatic music)

- [narrator] in the shadow of the newly-built eiffel tower,

32 million people flood the french capital

for the paris world's fair.

- If you're a company, if you're a country

and you have a new technology that you wanna boast about,

then you're gonna show this off at a world's fair.

- [narrator] on display is thomas edison's

latest record player, an otis safety elevator

and, representing the future of transportation,

karl benz's motorwagen.

- It is the only place you could go to

to see everything that the world had invented,

and it was a big thing for benz to be there.

- [narrator] but the motorwagen isn't alone.

Gottlieb daimler is there too

with a prototype of his wire-wheel car,

a four-wheeled vehicle powered by a two-cylinder

one-and-a-half-horsepower engine,

making it twice as powerful

as the motorwagen's single-cylinder engine.

But thanks to bertha, all eyes are on the motorwagen.

As benz a sales deal with a french enthusiast,

daimler's in desperate need of funding

to get his car into production.

- For daimler, things must have been frustrating

because everybody knew about the benz patent-motorwagen,

but daimler's was a much, much better vehicle.

- [narrator] he needs to convince his business partners

to invest before it's too late.

- [man] pull!

(gun firing)

- gottlieb, wilhelm.

- Benz has broken through.

He's showing his motorwagen at the world's fair.

He's selling them as we speak.

- And what does that have to do with us?

We just can't leave the market up to benz!

- Are you suggesting diverting funds

from a proven factory engine for some high-risk invention?

- [narrator] daimler wanted to make engines

for a market that didn't even exist yet,

which is a very hard sell to investors.

- [narrator] to them, daimler's vision is a pipe dream

that they refuse to spend money on.

If he wants to make cars,

he'll have to find another way to do it.

- Daimler and maybach were taking an enormous risk.

- [narrator] in the 1890s, germany is booming,

an epicenter of industrial progress

with a growing market of wealthy consumers

that karl benz is finally cashing in on.

- It was like it just dawned on karl benz.

"oh, I can make money doing this."

- [narrator] he upgrades his three-wheeler to four wheels

and is now selling cars in germany,

France, and even the united states.

- Karl benz understood that this was not just a hobby.

It was a business that he could dominate.

- [narrator] with cars in their infancy,

they're an expensive proposition.

A top-end benz costs 2,500 marks,

over $100,000 today.

- Like a lot of new technology, even today,

cars at that time were the preserve of the very rich.

They were a status symbol

for the elite to show off to their friends.

- [narrator] elites like charles rolls.

- Charles, how much further?

- (laughing) it's just around that bend.

- You said that three miles and two hours ago.

- Well, I have no recollection

of three miles and two hours ago. (laughing)

- you also told me your car never breaks too!

- Almost never. (both laughing)

come on, we're almost home,

and I've been told I make a fabulous breakfast.

- Charles rolls was a wealthy nobleman.

He lived a fantastically privileged existence

and epitomized the young rich man who looked at cars

and just thought, "wow, that's exciting."

(laughing)

- [narrator] while millionaire rolls is one of the few

who can afford european cars,

on a farm outside detroit,

henry ford dreams of making cars for everyone.

- Automobiles at first were seen

as something that were gonna be purchased

and used by the rich.

But in america, there was this democratic mindset

that people ought to have the same opportunities,

regardless of how much money they had.

- [narrator] ford will sell his first vehicle,

the quadricycle, for just $200,

the equivalent of $6,000 today.

And despite its rock-bottom price,

ford's four-horsepower car

is more than five times as powerful as the benz motorwagen.

But while henry ford redefines affordability,

gottlieb daimler thinks he can make a car

more powerful than both ford and benz.

But with investors who won't support his vision,

he's forced to do something drastic:

Selling his share of the company,

while keeping his most valuable asset,

engineer wilhelm maybach.

- It's very hard to talk about gottlieb daimler

without talking about maybach

because this was a real partnership from the beginning.

- Maybach was really the engineering genius

behind daimler.

- It should be making more power.

- [narrator] using the money from his share of the company,

daimler and maybach set out to build

the world's most powerful car engine.

- Here's the problem.

The carburetor.

- [narrator] but existing technology is holding them back.

- To make an internal combustion engine work,

you can't just dump fuel into a cylinder

and get it to ignite.

You have to mix the fuel and the air together.

So, the job of a carburetor is very important

because that mix of fuel and air

is really crucial to an engine's performance.

- If we can find a better way to deliver the fuel,

we'll have it.

- How do we do that?

- (sighing) I don't know.

- [narrator] the pressure on daimler to deliver intensifies

igniting a race among hundreds of hopeful engineers

looking to cash in.

- Everybody was at it because

suddenly the horizons had been peeled back

and people could see what was possible.

- [narrator] to stand out from the crowd, gottlieb daimler

gambles on creating the world's most powerful engine.

- By the time we get to the 1890s,

competition is springing up all over europe.

So it became a bit of a race to have the fastest car

with the most powerful engine.

- If we can find a better way to deliver the fuel,

we'll have it.

- [narrator] but daimler and maybach are struggling

until inspiration hits.

(gentle music)

- we're so close, its maddening.

Honestly, I feel...

(perfume bottle puffing)

(dramatic music)

- [narrator] maybach might have found a solution,

delivering the fuel in a fine mist.

- [maybach] so we, if we atomize the fuel

into the carburetor, the mixture is more precise.

- [narrator] maybach designs a spray nozzle carburetor

that injects a fine fuel mist into a chamber

where it mixes thoroughly with air,

maximizing combustion.

- That wasn't just throwing in large amounts of fuel

and hoping most of it would burn.

It took a really big leap of engineering technology.

- [narrator] the new design provides hope

for a powerful new engine.

- [daimler] are we ready?

- [maybach] yes.

(tentative music)

- crank it up.

(engine rumbling) (dramatic music)

30 foot pound.

- [narrator] by measuring the engines rotational force.

- [daimler] 35.

- [narrator] they can calculate its horsepower

and compare it to other engines.

- 40.

- Anytime you have a new invention, you have to be able

to compare it to something that's familiar.

So, the early automakers came up

with this idea of horsepower.

Comparing the power of an automobile to the horse.

- 55.

60.

- 60 rpm.

Divided by, equals.

Eight.

(men laughing)

- eight horsepower!

- [narrator] daimler and maybach new engine

has harnessed unprecedented power.

Twice as much as any benz model.

- The idea that this device,

the size of a filing cabinet

could create the same amount of power as eight horses

is truly remarkable.

- [narrator] the world's press

soon christen it, the phoenix.

- The technological achievements

helped make it the most powerful engine in the world.

And people described it as rising above the ashes

of all previous engines that had been made.

- [narrator] at the core

is maybach's new spray nozzle carburetor.

- That meant you could burn the fuel more efficiently,

and that allows the car to run farther and faster.

And it truly catapults the automobile into the modern era.

- [narrator] daimler licenses, the phoenix

to car makers all across europe.

Invigorated by the powerful new engine racing takes off.

(dramatic music)

and in June, 1895, the first official car race

takes place in France.

All of the finishers are powered by daimler engines.

- Since the inception of the automobile,

guys were racing each other.

And that was the beginning of performance.

The evolution of engines of brake systems

of suspension, of improvements in cars.

- [narrator] daimler now has what he needs most marketing.

- Even in the earliest days of the automotive industry,

the brand was important.

And the brand of daimler was a byword for quality

with a lot of power.

- [narrator] daimler and maybach go on

to build the world's first truck in 1896.

The first taxi in 1897

and a fleet of buses in 1898.

- This is what finally makes the automobile

more capable than the horse.

The next challenge is how do we make it affordable

so that the average person can buy a car.

- [narrator] for now, it's daimler's focus on power

that attracts his most important client.

(lighter flicking)

austrian diplomat, race driver and car salesman,

emil jellinek.

- Emil jellinek was someone you wouldn't forget

if you saw him.

Had these massive mutton chops.

And he was willing to take risks

and get interested in new stuff,

which is of course what led him into automobiles.

- He very quickly became gottlieb daimler biggest

and most difficult customer.

- [narrator] jellinek pushes them

to make super powerful engines

and race cars to put them in.

- For years motoring had been puttering about

in the one to eight horsepower's with the invention

of bigger engines, speed became the new drug.

- [narrator] while daimler targets super cars.

Carl benz's focus on simplicity

keeps him the undisputed king of the industry.

- [bertha] everyone over here.

- [narrator] with a new factory and streamlined production,

benz has buyers across europe, the u.S.

And as far away as south africa and singapore.

- Benz did what he set out to do in the first place,

which was make vehicles for people to use.

And he pulled it off.

- [narrator] by 1900, benz has sold over 2000 cars,

making him the world's top auto maker.

And with a company valued at over three million marks,

the equivalent of some $300 million today.

- [photographer] one, two, three.

(flash pops)

- [narrator] it makes him a very rich man.

But unlike benz,

gottlieb daimler will never enjoy his successes.

- Gottlieb daimler was an absolute workaholic.

He was working day and night

and it started to take a toll on his health.

- He had poured his life into this car company

and essentially worked himself to death.

- [narrator] then just weeks after losing its founder,

a daimler employee is killed driving a prototype race car.

- Early racing was absurdly dangerous.

The structure of the car was tall.

The wheels were tall.

Engines were high.

So in a turn you're very likely to tip.

Nothing about these early race cars

was really designed for safety.

- [narrator] left to run the company,

gottlieb's son, paul and wilhelm maybach,

quit building race cars,

focusing instead on passenger cars.

(dramatic music)

it's a decision not everyone is willing to accept.

Most of all, their top customer emil jellinek.

- It's not the horsepower that's the problem.

It's the chassis.

The solution is to build me a car

that's longer lower, wider and lighter.

A car that'll work with the engine

so that the driver can safely handle even more horsepower.

I'm thinking 35.

- 35 horsepower was a staggering number.

But he knew what he was talking about.

And he knew that maybach could design a car like that.

- I will personally finance 36 of them.

- [narrator] it's enough work to keep the company busy

for an entire year.

- At the turn of the last century,

cars were made in a laborious process by hand.

So to have one customer order enough cars to fulfill

that factor's workload for a year

had never been seen before.

It was an extraordinary moment for daimler.

- Alright, you got yourself a deal.

- Just one more thing, gentlemen,

if you'll indulge me.

It would mean everything to me

if the car was named after my daughter.

Mercedes.

- [narrator] but creating a car that's both fast and safe

is no easy task.

- The whole layout changes.

- [narrator] at the dawn of the 20th century,

industrial and technological innovation

fuel worldwide growth.

From zeppelin's airship to marconi's transatlantic radio,

travel and communication are advancing at warp speed.

At the forefront of that change, car makers.

- It's obvious to many people in engineering and technology

that this is catching on.

It's a possible way to make money, to start a business.

- [narrator] in the united states,

a true auto industry is born.

As ransom old unveils his first assembly line.

While henry ford enters and wins his first race.

Securing the money to form the ford motor company.

- I think what binds these people together

is this shared passion for the automobile,

and they're all a bit eccentric,

but they're all driven

by the singular goal

of a brighter tomorrow.

- Yes, sir, we will have it ready for you by next week.

My office will be in touch.

Oh, absolutely.

- [narrator] competition in the burgeoning car market

creates opportunities for savvy salesmen,

like charles rolls.

- Charles rolls was not just some dilettante playboy.

He was a person with a vision.

I think he understood exactly what the potential

of the car could be.

- No, room for the whole family, of course.

One for you in the misses then?

It's one of the smoothest rides

you're ever gonna experience.

For an old friend, I would do anything.

- Charles rolls really is in the right place

in british societies.

He's got these fabulous contacts book

full of all the rich and famous.

And so he starts selling them cars

and that quickly builds his dealership.

- [narrator] but the real profit isn't in reselling cars,

it's in making them.

- There's nothing in here.

- [narrator] and for that, he'll need help.

(upbeat music)

- mcdermot?

- Early start today, sir?

- You could say that.

Late one for you.

- I'm sorry, sir.

What do you think?

- It looks very good.

Excellent as always, sir.

- It's perfect, actually.

You know why?

Because I was here all night to make sure of it.

- As an engineer, henry royce is a perfectionist.

He's obsessive.

He's probably a really difficult guy to work for

but it's that attention to detail

that really starts to show through in the kind

of products he's creating.

- [mr. Royce] just be on time.

- Yes, mr. Royce, sir.

- [narrator] henry royce's perfectionism

makes him good money building cranes,

but it's cars that truly inspire him.

- Henry royce actually goes out and manages

to buy himself a couple of cars,

but he's really unimpressed with what he sees.

His engineering brain kicks in.

And he says, I can do a better job than this.

(upbeat music)

- [narrator] meanwhile, at daimler,

wilhelm maybach is pushed to the breaking point

by jellinek's demand for a faster, yet safer car.

- Success in motor racing cannot be underestimated

in terms of importance for helping the road car business.

If you could be successful in motor racing,

by having the most powerful, most reliable,

the safest cars, more people were likely to buy them.

- [narrator] to improve both handling and safety,

maybach moves the engine forward

and seats the driver behind it.

- The whole layout change.

This was no longer something based on these old ideas

of carriages and carts.

This was a whole new package.

- [narrator] it's revolutionary

and overwhelmingly challenging.

- It makes no sense, I don't understand it.

We're lighter and we're lower.

- [narrator] but as power increases, so does heat.

- Yes, but unless we cool the engine, it doesn't matter.

- The earliest engines basically had no cooling system.

So overheating was a huge problem for early automobiles.

- [narrator] for the mercedes to harness its full potential,

they'll need a whole new way to cool it.

- Unless, we maximize the airflow.

Honeycomb.

- That's good.

- [narrator] maybach designs a honeycomb grill

on the front of the car

perforated with 8,000 cooling tubes.

As the car moves, air flows across

the tubes huge surface area,

cooling the liquid inside and the engine beyond.

(dramatic music)

maybach and daimler work nonstop trying

to perfect their design.

And after just eight months,

jellinek demands delivery of his new car.

- Mr. Jellinek.

The radiator for the mercedes,

it's done.

- [narrator] it's the birth of the modern day radiator.

- It's solved the problem of engines overheating

almost overnight.

The engines could become a lot more powerful now.

They could become much faster machines

and it really was a springboard to another chapter

in the incredible daimler engine story.

(jellinek chuckling)

- would you like to see the rest of it?

- This way.

- [narrator] in December, 1901,

they deliver the very first mercedes.

A car that hits 55 miles per hour,

sweeps race week in the south of France

and sets the template for car design worldwide.

- You look at the first patent motor wagon,

it's a park bench with some wheels.

The 35 horsepower, actually you can recognize it as a car.

It was way more modern.

- It really revolutionized everything.

And there was no reason to build a car any other way

after this showed what was possible.

- [narrator] soon, enthusiastic surround the world

want their own modern car.

(dramatic music)

but in England...

(telephone ringing)

- there's a call for you, mr. Rolls.

- [narrator] where charles rolls is selling the top german

and french cars.

- Oh yes, mr. Cooper, it is excellent to hear from you.

(mr. Rolls laughing)

and everything's going well with the new car, I trust?

- [narrator] a new english designer

is about to one-up them.

- You prefer a royce?

Well, the royce is the talk of the town, mr. Cooper.

I'm gonna make a few calls and see what I can do for you.

Goodbye.

What in god's name is a royce?

- [narrator] by 1901, paul daimler and wilhelm maybach

have created the first modern car,

ushering in a new era in personal transportation

and a platform for ever increasing power.

American william k. Vanderbilt

takes his 90 horsepower mercedes to daytona,

where he hits 93 miles per hour.

Breaking the land speed record.

Racing wins lead to skyrocketing sales for daimler.

(upbeat music)

but as car making progresses,

carl benz is determined to stay the same.

- Carl benz was on the top of the world

in terms of car sales.

He'd made a lot of money from his invention

and his vision of getting cars to more people

than anybody else had come true.

- [narrator] but when the benz board

secretly hires french designers to improve performance,

benz does something unheard of.

- Are you sure?

- Yes, it's time.

- He eventually just stepped aside,

let the company continue on.

There was no dramatic failure.

There was no awful end to this guy.

It actually worked out surprisingly well for him.

- [narrator] after nearly 20 years,

carl benz stops managing the company he founded,

but keeps his shares, a seat on the board

and his place in history.

(tentative music)

(snooker balls clicking)

just as benz walks away from the competition,

henry royce is ready to join in.

- Could I get a pint, please?

- The car presented him with both a challenge

and an opportunity.

A challenge to really progress a new technology

and an opportunity to put his name on something

of which could be his lasting legacy.

- [narrator] though he's made just a handful of cars,

his work has made him a valuable target.

And charles rolls has him in his sights.

- Henry royce?

How did you do it?

- Do what?

- That is the most amazing car I've ever driven.

- That's very kind of you.

But there's still a lot of work that needs to be done.

- Oh, clearly you're a better engineer

than you are a salesman.

But that's where I come in.

- What do you mean, where you come in?

- Could I get a glass of champagne, please?

Oh, henry yesterday, I couldn't believe

that there could be a better car than a mercedes.

Now today, I believe you can build one.

- Keep talking.

- It's a proposal, a company.

You production, me marketing and sales,

but together making the best car the world has ever seen.

- Now that sounds like a challenge.

- Now, henry I'd give my right arm just to be able

to sell a royce, but I would give everything

to put my name on it.

- You had charles who had the money.

He had the charm, but he wasn't an engineer.

And then you had henry royce who couldn't go out

and sell a car if his life depended on it.

But he could design a car that rolls could sell.

- I kind of liked the sound of that.

Royce rolls.

- Actually I was thinking rolls royce.

Alphabetical and all.

- [narrator] next time on the cars that built the world.Rn

(car engine rumbling)

the automobile becomes a part of everyday life.

- The

from crude machines was incredibly fast.

- [narrator] as new companies.

- Bentley and bentley motorcars.

- [narrator] and new innovators.

- Congratulations, mr. Porsche. (pronounced porsh)

- actually, it's porsche.

- [narrator] fight for their place in the market.

- If we don't release a new model now,

perfection won't matter.

- This is a period of very aggressive competition

and the car world must've seemed

like the most exciting place to be.

(dramatic music)

- [narrator] and in a modern world shaped by conflict.

- World war I was the first major war

in which the internal combustion engine had been available.

- [man] gentlemen, our boys just outran the germans.

- [narrator] an explosion of car making

will push the boundaries of technology.

- What we're building here will be revolutionary.

- [narrator] and start a new global industry.

(upbeat music)