Collections

The first appearance of the Georges Irat name was in 1914, but there is no record of car production until 1921. Having flirted with production of both large, powerful cars and smaller, less powerful roadsters, Irat was near financial ruin in the mid-30s. Building on the front-drive theme of their successful 6CV, Irat based the […]

This German company was producing cars as early as the 1920s but they struggled financially through that decade. In 1931, Hanomag had 25% of the small-car market in Germany, trailed by DKW (19%) and BMW (17%). The following year they gambled on concentrating on a single series–the 1.1 Liter (later re-named Garant). The gamble worked,

The Hansa Automobile Gesellschaft was founded in 1905 to build light cars. Light cars were comparatively rare in Germany at the time. By 1913, the company was building small to medium-sized cars as well as large, luxurious cars. The Berlin Auto Show in 1934 saw the appearance of the Hansa 1100. This model was more

Few companies have offered electric vehicles, with only a handful being sold or leased. These cars typically suffer from heavy battery weight, short range, and long charging times. The Honda Insight was the first gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle soldin the U.S. Hybrids offer the best of both worlds–ultra- low emissions and no refueling or range restrictions.

This tiny microcar, designed and built by airplane pilots Claude Cry and Cale Orcutt, was one of the most successful microcars. The first model was produced in 1947 and resembled a racing car. The example you see here is the more angular third series. It offers a practical 2-seater roadster body made of metal. This

In 1936 the MG (which stands for Morris Garage) Car Company began production of the T-series. They introduced the MGTA Midget with just over 3,000 being produced. Then came the MGTB, and only a few were produced before World War II broke out. During World War II production of MG’s ceased as the company was

In 1969, Matra was taken over by SIMCA, which in turn became fully Chrysler-owned one year later. Matra continued with their mission to produce an inexpensive, economical sports car, using off-the-shelf power units and running gear coupled with dramatic styling. In 1973, Matra introduced their newest concept, the M550—better known as the Bagheera and named

Servicemen returning from the European Theater after WWII had become infatuated with the sports car. One of the most popular and recognizable was the MG T-series. In 1949, the MG TC gave way to the MG TD; in 1953, the MG TD gave way to the MG TF. The TF was at the time a

The MG B proved even more successful than its predecessor the MG A. In 1965 came a coupé version–the MG B GT, which had an attractive and functional closed version of the standard body. In appearance, the front end was essentially the same, but the windshield was slightly higher to allow for a higher roof