Pioneers: what models did the history of automakers begin with

In every person's life, the first, uncertain step is always also the most important. With cars, exactly the same parsley. Without the first unsophisticated, licensed BMW, there would have been no space i8; if Enzo Ferrari had not decided to build a 125S speedster, neither F40 nor LaFerrari would have happened later, and without the first FIAT, we might still be walking. We continue to remember the first cars in the history of the largest brands of our time.

This is the second and final part of the article about pioneer cars. As in the first issue, 20 cars were included in the material-from Land Rover to Volvo. The companies are listed in alphabetical order.

1. Land Rover Mk.1 (1948)

The first prototype was built on the Willis chassis, but with a gearbox and an engine from the pre-war Rover P3. That car was famous primarily for the steering column located in the center of the cabin. Then the prototype "center-steer" evolved into a serial Land Rover Series 1, now living out the century in the guise of a"Defender".

2. Lexus LS400 (1989)

3. Maserati type 26 (1926)

4. Mazda R360 (1960)

5. Mercedes 35 h.p. (1901)

6. Mini — Austin Mini (1959)

7. MItsubishi Model A (1917)

8. Nissan Model 70 (1937)

9. Opel Lutzmann (1899)

10. Peugeot Type 2 (1890)

11. Porsche 356/1 (1948)

The first (and also the only) copy of the Porsche 356/1 was equipped with a roadster body made of aluminum, had a spatial frame and a complex mid-engine layout. The Porsche 356/2, which is less complicated in technical terms, went into the series, much closer in layout and design to the VW Type 1.

12. Renault Voiturette Type A (1898)

13. Rolls Royce 10 hp (1904)

Handy Henry took and built his own version of the "Decauville". Everything is the same in form and in fact, only a hundred times more reliable. It was on this two-cylinder 10-horsepower car that a rich Londoner, Charles Rolls, took a ride in May 1904. Well, every schoolchild knows what it led to today.

14. SAAB 92 (1949)

15. Skoda 25/100 (1925)

16. Subaru 1500 (1954)

17. Suzuki — Suzulight (1955)

18. Toyota A1 (1935)

19. Volkswagen Type 1 (1938)

20. Volvo OV4 (1927)

Together with engineer Gustav Larrson and with funds borrowed from banks under personal guarantees, the Swedes developed and built 10 pre-production prototypes that became the basis of the first production Volvo OV4. By the way, OV4 literally means "Open body, 4-cylinder". Which, in principle, is not entirely true — out of ten prototypes, at least one had a completely closed body. A problem…