Est. 1886 — Present day
Auto
Archive
Archive
The complete history of the automobile, catalogued.
Ferrari 250 GTO — 1962✦
Porsche 911 — 1963✦
Ford GT40 — 1966✦
Lamborghini Miura — 1966✦
BMW 2002 — 1968✦
De Tomaso Pantera — 1971✦
McLaren F1 — 1992✦
Bugatti Veyron — 2005✦
Ferrari 250 GTO — 1962✦
Porsche 911 — 1963✦
Ford GT40 — 1966✦
Lamborghini Miura — 1966✦
BMW 2002 — 1968✦
De Tomaso Pantera — 1971✦
McLaren F1 — 1992✦
Bugatti Veyron — 2005✦
0cars
In the archive
0years
Of automotive history
0brands
Manufacturers covered
0hp
Most powerful on record
62
Classic — Featured car
Ferrari
250 GTO
250 GTO
1962 – 1964
Engine
3.0L V12
Power
302 hp
Top speed
280 km/h
Produced
39 units
73
Classic — Featured car
Porsche
911 RS
911 RS
1973
Engine
2.7L Flat-6
Power
210 hp
Weight
900 kg
0–100
5.8 s
Browse
by era
by era
From horseless carriages to electric hypercars — explore the complete evolution of the automobile across five distinct eras of design and engineering.
Pre-war 1886–1939
Vintage 1940–1959
Classic 1960–1979
Modern 1980–2009
Contemporary 2010+
Top speed record
490 km/h
SSC Tuatara — 2021
Latest addition
Bugatti
Tourbillon
Tourbillon
Added March 2025
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Milestones01 / 04
| 1886 | The first automobile Karl Benz files a patent for the Motorwagen — a three-wheeled vehicle powered by a single-cylinder four-stroke engine. The era of the automobile begins. |
Pre-war |
| 1908 | The Model T revolution Ford introduces the Model T and, shortly after, the moving assembly line. For the first time, the automobile becomes accessible to ordinary people. |
Pre-war |
| 1962 | Ferrari 250 GTO Widely regarded as the most beautiful and significant racing car ever built. Only 39 were made. Today, the GTO defines the pinnacle of collector value. |
Classic |
| 1992 | McLaren F1 — the benchmark Gordon Murray's F1 sets a production car top speed record of 386 km/h that stands for over a decade. Three seats, a central driving position, a gold-lined engine bay. |
Modern |
| 2024 | The electric inflection Over 40% of all new cars sold globally are electric or hybrid. The internal combustion engine, after 138 years of dominance, faces an existential transition. |
Contemporary |
"
The automobile is not merely a machine. It is the most complex object ordinary people ever own — and the most revealing.
— Archive editorial note
Head to head02 / 04
Ferrari
250 GTO
250 GTO
Porsche
911 Carrera RS
911 Carrera RS
McLaren
F1
F1
Year
1962
1973
1992
Engine
3.0L V12
2.7L Flat-6
6.1L V12
Power
302 hp
210 hp
627 hp
Weight
880 kg
900 kg
1138 kg
Top speed
280 km/h
245 km/h
386 km/h
Units made
39
1,580
106
Terminology03 / 04
Homologation
The process of certifying a vehicle meets the minimum production requirements to compete in a specific racing class. Many iconic road cars — the GTO, the Carrera RS — exist solely because of this rule.
Gran Turismo
Italian for "grand touring." A car built to cover long distances at high speed in comfort. The concept gave rise to an entire category of automobiles — and one of the world's most loved video game franchises.
Forced induction
Compressing the intake air before it enters the engine — via turbocharger or supercharger — to produce more power from the same displacement. Nearly every performance car today uses it.
Kerb weight
The weight of a vehicle ready to drive — fuel, fluids, standard equipment — but without passengers or cargo. The single most important number in understanding how a car will actually feel to drive.
About this archive04 / 04
Why we
document
every car
document
every car
01
History is fragile. Cars rust, burn, crash. Documentation survives where metal doesn't. We record everything — prototypes, one-offs, forgotten production runs.
02
Specs tell stories. A power-to-weight ratio, a gear ratio, a tyre compound — each number is a decision made by an engineer under constraint. We show you the numbers and explain what they mean.
03
No hierarchy. A 1927 Ford Model T belongs in the same archive as a 2024 Bugatti Tourbillon. Both are remarkable achievements of their time.