20th-century trailblazers: the best cars from 1901 to 1925

1908 Lancia Alfa

Celebrated racer and engineer “brings his long experience to bear in an unmistakable and praiseworthy manner”, his debut car being an “excellent and in parts original design”.

1909 Ford Model T

It was tricky to drive, but revolutionary production methods made it amazingly affordable, such that half of all cars in America were Model Ts for a time. It was the first Ford made in Britain too.

1910 Cadillac Model 10

The first car with an electric starter rather than a crank handle, thanks in part to an ‘auto-trembler’.

1911 Vauxhall Prince Henry

“A particularly fast, light car for road work, seating four, with a chassis of distinct design,” we said. Possibly the world’s first proper sports car, then

1912 Morgan Runabout

Railway engineer’s first automotive affair made motoring more widely accessible.

We found the two-seat three-wheeler was “far more suitable for high-speed sporting work” than its many rival cycle cars.

1913 Morris Oxford

The ‘Bullnose’ “created a most favourable impression on account of its excellence of design”.

A light four yet “possessing all the attributes of a full-size car”, it was “excellent value”.

1914 Dodge 30-35

“The Dodge Brothers car possesses characteristics seldom indeed encountered in a vehicle selling at anything like this price, namely £210.”

1915 Packard Twin Six

This luxurious American was the first V12 production car.

“The idea is to produce a more perfect running engine by means of the perfect natural balance” – and boy did it work.

1916 Cadillac Type 51

The first mass-produced V8 car. “It is really difficult to convey on paper any idea of the delight of the running,” we gushed.

“One may indulge in superlatives and yet fall short of producing the real impression of satisfaction.”

1917 Mitsubishi Model A

We didn’t know about it at the time, but this saloon, made by a famous shipbuilder, was hugely significant as the first Japanese car – even if it was basically a Fiat.

1918 Citroën Type A

So popular was this “car of light weight, moderate power and convenient size” that it arguably turned a French start-up into Europe’s first mass manufacturer of cars.

1919 Hispano-Suiza H6

“Whether it be judged from the standpoint of speed, flexibility, silence, brakes, springing, workmanship or design”, this Swiss-designed, Paris-built luxury car “is more than capable of holding its own among the world’s best”.

1920 Rover 8HP

British newcomer pleasingly “fills the gap between the motorcycle-and-sidecar combination and the small but now expensive light car” to the benefit of “the family motorist of limited means”.

1921 Bentley 3-litre

Initial roadster’s litheness and effortless performance gave us “fierce, wild intoxication”, before the long-wheelbase tourer proved “comfortable and docile yet powerful”.

1922 Lancia Lambda

Highly innovative as the first car with a monocoque and the first with all-independent suspension.