The Cars That Built the World

Frustrated by the limitations of personal transportation, a select group of inventors set out to liberate humanity from their dependence on the horse by harnessing the power of the internal combustion engine. Karl Benz discovers a potent, portable fuel that sparks the invention of the car, leading rival Gottlieb Daimler to build a faster, more powerful engine. As the car slowly changes from expensive curiosity to essential technology, Charles Rolls, a man of privilege and an early car enthusiast, partners with brilliant engineer Henry Royce to build the greatest car in the world.

As early car makers gain traction and the car becomes more than a curiosity, they struggle to create a market for their inventions and beat out their competitors. WWI interrupts the budding auto industry, but the demand for mechanized vehicles and more powerful airplane engines catapults car-making into a whole new era of power, paving the way for a new generation of engineers. W.O. Bentley’s need for speed leads to a rivalry with Henry Royce, while Paul Daimler struggles to make a name for himself at his father’s company.

As the roaring twenties bring cars to the American masses, Germany lags far behind–and Japan struggles to modernize. The car could be the answer to the problems of both nations, as Germany searches for a “people’s car” to help pull them from an economic depression, and a small group of industrialists and upstarts see the car as the way to claim Japan’s rightful place in the world. Then World War II changes everything.