Chevrolet Assembly Line Workers in Flint, Michigan - Documentary (1936)

Chevrolet Assembly Line Workers in Flint, Michigan - Documentary (1936)

Master Hands is a 1936 sponsored documentary film short which shows what work is like in a Chevrolet automobile factory. Credits include original music by Samuel Benavie, cinematography by Gordon Avil, and film editing by Vincent Herman.

It was produced by the Jam Handy Organization, a pioneer in industrial film production. In 1999, Master Hands was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Jaguar E-Type, 1961-1975 full untold history

Jaguar E-Type, 1961-1975 full untold history

Even though two-seat, low-slung runabouts were being produced in North America, there exists the romantic notion that only those venerable marques from across the pond are the real deal.

The reason for this attitude is simple. Beginning around the mid-1930s, cars built in North America began growing and gaining weight as buyers began equating size with prestige and value.

in Great Britain, the combination of (very) narrow roads and expensive petrol made smaller, lighter cars (including sports cars), a more viable proposition.

Sports cars were all but forgotten until the end of the World War II when returning servicemen brought back a trickle of these odd little right-hand drive roadsters. The sports-car trend began gathering steam with post-war MG TCs and TDs, followed in the 1950s by MG TFs and MGAs, plus assorted Triumphs and Austin Healeys. Most weren't overly powerful, especially comfortable or particularly reliable. But they provided more wind-in-your-face pleasure than any other car around

Master Hands (1936) Chevrolet Manufacturing

Classic "capitalist realist" drama showing the manufacture of Chevrolets from foundry to finished vehicles. Though ostensibly a tribute to the "master hands" of the assembly line workers, it seems more of a paean to the designers of this impressive mass production system. Filmed in Flint, Michigan, just months before the United Auto Workers won union recognition with their famous sitdown strikes.

The Diesel Story in video film

Traces the development of the diesel from the Otto 'SILENT' gas engine of 1877 through Rudolph Diesel's engine, to the machines that now drive ships, trains, tractors, trucks and cars.

2013 Dodge Dart video photos and full details

The 2013 Dodge Dart redefines performance with Alfa Romeo DNA, fuel-efficient powertrains and Dodge's passion for performance. The all-new Dodge Dart is a thoroughly modern vehicle that's fuel-efficient, beautifully designed and crafted, agile and fun-to-drive.

Loaded with innovative technology, class-leading safety features and clever functionality, the 2013 Dodge Dart sets a new standard in the compact car segment by offering unmatched personalization, roominess, style, functionality and fun-to-drive dynamics.

"The all-new Dodge Dart is a groundbreaking car that will surprise and delight customers who want a no-compromise, fun-to-drive car that's a great value," said Reid Bigland, President and Chief Executive Officer — Dodge Brand, Chrysler Group LLC. "With 12 exterior colors, 14 interior color and trim options, three powerful, fuel-efficient engines, three transmission choices, unsurpassed safety features and world-class aerodynamics, the new Dodge Dart sets a new standard for the compact car class."

2013 Cadillac ATS video photos and full details

Cadillac today introduced the 2013 ATS, an all-new compact luxury sports sedan intended to challenge the world's best premium cars. Developed on an all-new, lightweight vehicle architecture, Cadillac's entry into the world's most significant luxury car segment goes on sale this summer.

The rear-drive ATS brings Cadillac's blend of technologically driven performance, elegance and design to a new audience of spirited drivers. Its sophisticated driving experience is enhanced with Cadillac CUE, a comprehensive, in-vehicle user experience that merges intuitive design with industry-first controls and commands for information and media data.

"Designed with quick, nimble and fun-to-drive dynamics, ATS expands Cadillac's portfolio into a crucial global segment," said Don Butler, vice president of marketing for Cadillac. "For a new group of luxury consumers, this is a car that will fit their lifestyle and challenge the segment's status quo."

2013 Chevrolet Sonic RS video photos and full details

A hotter Chevrolet Sonic is about to sound off -- the 2013 Sonic RS. It goes on sale in late 2012, after making its public debut at the North American International Auto Show Jan. 14-22.

The new RS amplifies the Sonic's youthful style and driving experience with unique exterior and interior features matched with a 138-horsepower (103 kW) Ecotec 1.4L turbo engine. Sonic is the only vehicle in its segment to offer a turbocharged powertrain.

"The new Chevrolet Sonic RS pushes Chevrolet's performance heritage in a new direction, for a new generation of drivers," said Chris Perry, vice president of Global Chevrolet Marketing. "It takes the Sonic's great design and latest connectivity features and combines them with a more performance-oriented look and feel."

New 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL video photos and full details

The all-new 2013 SL continues a tradition that began 60 years ago. For six decades the letters "SL" have been synonymous with a blend of sport, style and comfort -- infused with groundbreaking innovation. For the first time, the SL is being produced almost entirely from aluminum and consequently weighs considerably less than its predecessor. Its highly rigid all-aluminum bodyshell provides the basis for agile, sporty handling that has been taken to an entirely new level, coupled with outstanding bodyroll and ride characteristics. Even better driving dynamics come courtesy of the new direct injection engine, which is more powerful and economical than the outgoing generation. Other new features include the unique FrontBass system, which turns the luxury sports car into a concert hall -- with the top down or up -- and the highly efficient MAGIC VISION CONTROL. The 2013 SL550 will be available in U.S. showrooms this spring.

2013 Cadillac ATS Challenges video photos and full details

Cadillac introduced at Jan 9, 2012 the 2013 ATS, an all-new compact luxury sports sedan intended to challenge the world's best premium cars. Developed on an all-new, lightweight vehicle architecture, Cadillac's entry into the world's most significant luxury car segment goes on sale this summer.

The rear-drive ATS brings Cadillac's blend of technologically driven performance, elegance and design to a new audience of spirited drivers. Its sophisticated driving experience is enhanced with Cadillac CUE, a comprehensive, in-vehicle user experience that merges intuitive design with industry-first controls and commands for information and media data.

"Designed with quick, nimble and fun-to-drive dynamics, ATS expands Cadillac's portfolio into a crucial global segment," said Don Butler, vice president of marketing for Cadillac. "For a new group of luxury consumers, this is a car that will fit their lifestyle and challenge the segment's status quo."

JAGUAR XK120 full history details

The XK120 was the fastest, most exotic car that Britain offered in 1948, it came about almost by accident.  In 1945, Jaguar Cars offered a range of stylish sedans and tourers, but used bought-in engines. Company founder William Lyons planned a new sedan with a brand new Jaguar-made engine, designed in secret during World War II.

This twin-camshaft straight-six was a masterpiece. Flexible and powerful, its basis was a cast-iron block with a seven-bearing crankshaft. On top was an all-alloy cross flow Westlake cylinder head. It had two noise reducing timing chains, and twin 1.75in (4.5cm) SU carburetors. It looked superb with its polished aluminum cam covers, and stove-enameled exhaust manifold.  Delays in the sedan’s development meant that Jaguar had no car in which to install its showpiece. So William Lyons hastily constructed a sports car body on a shortened sedan chassis, thinking it might generate publicity and act as a rolling tested.

HUDSON COMMODORE full history details

founded in 1909, was among the last of the American “independents” carmakers who struggled and ultimately failed in the face of the mighty Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. Although its cars during the 1920–30s were mostly unremarkable, Hudson shocked the burghers of Detroit in 1948 with its range of “Step Down” cars.  They were so-nicknamed because driver and passengers stepped down into their seats due to a unitary-construction method Hudson called “Monobilt”: instead of the body being bolted on top of the chassis, the floorpan was suspended from the bottom of it.

founded in 1909,

was among the last of the

American “independents”

carmakers who struggled and ultimately failed in the face of the mighty Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. Although its cars during the 1920–30s were mostly unremarkable, Hudson shocked the burghers of Detroit in 1948 with its range of “Step Down” cars.  They were so-nicknamed because driver and passengers stepped down into their seats due to a unitary-construction method Hudson called “Monobilt”: instead of the body being bolted on top of the chassis, the floorpan was suspended from the bottom of it.

CITROËN 2CV 1948 full history details

At the Paris motor show in October 1948, the 2CV caused astonishment, even though it had been scheduled to appear eight years earlier. The original launch was cancelled when World War II broke out. All but one of the 250 prototypes were destroyed to preserve the ingenious car’s secrets.  It expressed a new philosophy for Citroën, being the lightest of lightweight economy cars, powered by a newly designed air-cooled flat-twin engine of a mere 23ci (375cc), front-wheel drive, and the first four-speed gearbox Citroën had ever fitted as standard.  Its corrugated hood gave the appearance of a wartime air-raid shelter on wheels.  The “father” of the 2CV was Citroën’s managing director, Pierre Boulanger. He briefed his chief engineer Maurice Broglie to come up with an “umbrella on wheels” that could travel in comfort over rural roads and cost a third of the price of a family sedan.  The tight-knit team that designed the car, led by André Lefebvre, more than rose to the challenge, and continued work on the car during the war. After several concepts had been tried out, using a test track built in the grounds of an isolated chateau outside Paris, Citroën settled on a light, gauge steel body and soft, long-travel interconnected suspension featuring horizontal coil springs.  Low-pressure Michelin Pilote tires made sure it could float over any pothole.  Showgoers in 1948 might have been uncertain as to the utilitarian new Citroën, but it rapidly became part of the fabric of French life, both rural and urban.

DAVIS DIVAN 1938 full history details

The story of this arresting-looking three-wheeler with its four-abreast seating begins in 1938, when a similar one-off car was commissioned by wealthy American playboy Joel Thorne. He regularly cruised the streets of Los Angeles in his three-wheeled wonder “Californian.” One man who was particularly taken with it was car salesman Glenn Gordon “Gary” Davis.  Somehow, Davis managed to acquire the car, which had inspired him to try and sell a version to American motorists. Treating the Californian as his rolling billboard and prototype, Davis toured the nation promoting his Davis Motor Car Company.  Having acquired a factory in Van Nuys, and with the Californian beginning to look rather worn, Davis hired some engineers to help him build a production prototype. Three experimental cars later, the specification of the Davis Divan was settled. It now included a 159ci (2,600cc) Hercules engine and a three-speed Borg Warner gearbox. The hardtop was removable and headlights were concealed behind flaps.

Although eye-catching, only a few were test-built before Davis’s exasperated staff sued him for unpaid wages. Despite plans for making 50 cars daily and new designs for a three-wheeled military vehicle, the plant was shut in mid-1948. Davis was jailed for two years for defrauding investors; after he served his sentence in 1953, he became involved in making bumper cars. Whether or not Gary Davis was a conman, he certainly created a car like nothing else on the road.

TUCKER 48 “TORPEDO” full history details

Preston T. Tucker’s character was something between dreamer and opportunist. He’d been an office boy at

Cadillac, a car salesman, and partner in an Indianapolis racing car business before deciding to revolutionize car design in post-war America with an all-new model that was fast, stylish, and safe.

Early ideas in 1945 were for a streamlined coupé with a rear-mounted, 592ci (9,700cc), air-cooled engine that used two torque converters to the rear wheels instead of a gearbox. It had seatbelts, a padded dashboard, and a windshield that popped out in a crash. When that proved unfeasible, his team went for a streamlined four-door sedan, with a Franklin air-cooled flat-six engine in the back. The seatbelts were dropped, because it was felt they implied the car was unsafe, and so were swiveling headlamps, disc brakes, and a central driving position. But the independent suspension and padded dashboard remained.  The car’s ongoing evolution meant a switch to water-cooling, and the finalized version proved rapid, with a 121mph (195kph) top speed despite its considerable bulk.  In 1946, Tucker acquired the then largest factory building in the world, a former Chicago aircraft plant, to make his car.  But public goodwill evaporated when US financial regulators alleged fraud for raising finance from dealers and customers while changing the design of the car they had committed to. His name was cleared, but the Tucker Corporation went into liquidation.

2013 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet full detailes and video preview

The sky's the limit now for driving fun with the new 911 Carrera: the Coupé is following on from the Cabriolet and introducing the superior attributes of the new generation 911 in the open-top sports car market segment. At the same time, the new lightweight top technology enables the typical 911 roof line to be retained in full for the first time: even with the top closed, the Cabriolet reveals the unmistakable 911 silhouette -- never before were Cabrio and Coupé so similar.