Antique car

On Christmas Eve in 1801 Richard Trevithick of England demonstrated a steam-powered carriage, the Puffing Devil, that is considered the first horseless carriage, but Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot has the claim of the first steam-powered vehicle with the Fardier à vapeur in 1770.

The time line is not exact but Thomas Davenport as well as Robert Anderson (of Scotland) built a battery electric car between 1832 and 1839.

Gasoline automobiles were produced by Elwood Haynes in 1894, by Ransom Olds in 1895, Charles King and Henry Ford in 1896.

[6] The Horseless Carriage Club of America (HCCA) defines this era as "any pioneer gas, steam and electric motor vehicle built or manufactured prior to January 1, 1916".

[7] The era of antique cars actually covers a specific time period from the beginning up to 1920 or prior to World War I.

There were over 500 automotive companies in 1910 but by the time of the Great Depression of 1929 only 60 had survived, and twelve years later there were fewer than 20.

[10] Post vintage cars are those made from 1 January 1931 to the start of World War II (September 1939).