The Cars That Built the World

1 season available

The development of the internal combustion engine and the car impacted the world as few others have.
Fueling Invention
S1 E1

Frustrated by the limitations of personal transportation, rival engineers Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler set out to liberate humanity from their dependence on the horse by harnessing the power of the internal combustion engine.

Create a Market, Build an Empire
S1 E2

As the car becomes more than a curiosity, early car makers gain traction with their inventions. The outbreak of WWI catapults the industry into a new era of competition, paving the way for a new generation of engineers.

Motorize the Masses
S1 E3

As the roaring twenties bring cars to the masses in America, Europe lags far behind, and Japan struggles to modernize. The car could be the answer to the problems of both nations - until World War II changes everything.

Winning the World Over
S1 E4

As America enters a golden age of car design, German and Japanese carmakers struggle to recover from the devastation of World War II.