Ignition: Motoring’s First Pioneers 1870 – 1910s

Britain’s special connection with motoring has driven the nation’s story for over 150 years. This section will look at first road locomotives, red flag warnings and puttering petrol engines, and includes the oldest self-propelled British passenger-carrying road vehicle still in working order, the 1875 Grenville Steam Carriage.

Edwardian motoring came to represent technological progress and social change. For the rich, the car soon turned from a mechanical curiosity into a cultural institution - one that brought new freedoms and new opportunities. John, 2nd Lord Montagu of Beaulieu was a motoring pioneer, and he introduced the then Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, to motoring.

Bugatti Type 15 1910 in the grounds at the National Motor Museum

1910 Bugatti Type 15

A 1910 Bugatti Type 15 is included in the gallery. This is the second oldest surviving Bugatti and the oldest in Britain. It is believed that this car was originally owned by the Bugatti family and reputed to have been used on the Western Front during World War One.

>>Handbrake Off: Motoring Between the Wars 1920s and 1930s