The rise of the automobile

(The age of the classic cars)

The 1920s saw the emergence of the great European producers—Austin, Morris, Singer, Fiat, Citroën. Universal motor transportation was a long way off, but the concept of the small car that found expression in the Austin Seven and the Fiat Topolino, to name two of the descendants of Ettore Bugatti’s tiny Bébé Peugeot of 1911, was to have a profound effect.

The decade 1925–35 was notable not only for the appearance of many new small automobiles but also for the building of many ultralarge ones. The years from 1925 to 1942 are cited by collectors of automobiles as the classic years, a period that saw the rise of the luxurious fast motorcar to a peak it seemed unlikely to reach again.

The first name in this field was Rolls-Royce, founded in 1904. Most Rolls-Royce chassis are designed for limousine and large sedan bodies, but the firm once made a comparatively light car (called the Twenty), and it has throughout its history produced fast models in addition to its regular line—e.g., after World War II, the Continental, built under the Bentley Motors Ltd. label.

Other motorcars of this type included the Hispano-Suiza of Spain and France; the Bugatti, Delage, Delahaye, Hotchkiss, Talbot (Darracq), and Voisin of France; the Duesenberg, Cadillac, Packard, and Pierce-Arrow of the United States; the Horch, Maybach, and Mercedes-Benz of Germany; the Belgian Minerva; and the Italian Isotta-Fraschini.

These were costly machines, priced roughly from $7,500 to $40,000; fast (90 to 130 miles per hour); as comfortable as the state of the art would allow; and limited in luxury only by the purse of the purchaser. The great custom coach builders of England who furnished bodies for Rolls-Royce machines, unruffled by the whims of their clients, were prepared to satisfy any request, whether for upholstery in matched ostrich hide with ivory buttons or for a dashboard in rosewood.

The most expensive standard automobile of which there exists convincing record was the Type 41 Bugatti, produced in the 1920s by Ettore Bugatti, an Italian of extraordinary gifts who built cars in France, most of them racing and sports types, from 1909 to 1939. The Type 41 Bugatti, also called La Royale, was cataloged at a chassis price of 500,000 francs, about $20,000. Only six of the cars were built.

The market collapse of 1929 ended the era of the really luxurious motorcar. After World War II even Rolls-Royce abandoned its policy of producing a standard chassis with custom-made bodies and offered a standard sedan that could be bought straight off the showroom floor.

II. Look through the text again and answer the following questions:

1. Why did the beginning of the 20^th century see the emergence of many great car producers?

2. What was the first light car produced by the Rolls-Royce company?

3. What models of luxurious cars of those times are still popular nowadays?

4. What automobile produced by Bugatti was the most expensive?

5. Why did the era of the luxurious motorcars come to an end?

III. Match the words with their definitions and make up your own sentences with these words:

1. light a) giving physical relief, convenient, cosy;

2. to include b) carriage or cab for several passengers;

3. expensive c) to permit to do something;

4. request d) calm, unmoved or tranquil;

5. comfortable e) the padding, covering, etc., of a piece of furniture;

6. coach f) not heavy, weighing relatively little;

7. to allow g) a sudden, fanciful idea or impulsive thought;

8. unruffled h) the act of expressing a desire;

9. upholstery i) to contain as an ingredient or element;

10. whim j) high-priced, costly or dear;

IV. Read the following statements and discuss them with a partner:

1. Universal motor transportation was a long way off.

2. The period from 1925 to 1942 saw the rise of the luxurious fast motorcars.

3. The great custom coach builders of England were prepared to satisfy any request.

4. The market collapse of 1929 ended the era of the really luxurious motorcar.

Giving your opinion you may find the following expressions helpful:

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