Past & Present: The Motor-Car (colour litho)

The Motor-Car. The first English vehicle propelled by an internal combustion engine was probably Butler's motor-tricycle, 1885. The invention of the Daimler engine (1885) combined with Levassor's transmission system made the modern automobile possible. Our picture shows a car similar to that with which M Levassor won the Paris-Bordeaux race, 1895. Highest speed on the level, about 20 miles per hour. Modern Saloon Car. The development of the motor-car has revolutionised road traffic. While double 6 cylinder touring cars, developing 160 hp, attain speeds approaching 90 mph under favourable conditions, racing cars can cover specially prepared tracks at 170 mph. Illustration for one of a set of cigarette cards on the subject of Past & Present issued by Wills in 1929.