Germany is most often credited with the birth of the internal combustion engine. France gave rise to the first credible motor industry. The United States added a little Yankee ingenuity and came up with its own version of both. While the American automobile industry got off to a bumpy start, by 1908, U.S. automobile production had surpassed that of European manufacturers. When the outbreak of World War I all but halted European production of passenger cars, American auto makers took advantage of the opportunity to establish a toehold in Europe. During the war and for two decades after, American automobiles, which were considered reliable and cheap, were a common sight on the streets of many European cities and towns. This book contains a unique and unprecedented collection of period photographs, recording American automobiles - and their owners - in various locations throughout Europe between the years of 1900 and 1940. Captions include the make and model of each car; information on the setting of the photograph; and remarks on interesting details, unusual accessories or distinguishing features of each car. Argo, Jewitt, Durant and Reo automobiles are represented here along with household names such as Buick, Chevrolet and Ford.

After World War I, there was a great hunger for cars in Britain. Many servicemen had learned to drive and had money from their demobilization grants to spend, but British factories were not immediately able to get back into car production, so they looked to America for automobiles. In 1919, two out of every five cars on British roads were Fords built in England, and in 1925, General Motors took over British manufacturer Vauxhall. Hudson also became a prolific assembler during this time and Chrysler built an assembly plant in Kew. This volume features numerous photographs and commentary on many makes of American cars that could be seen on British roads before the beginning of World War II. Allard, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Durant, Duryea, Essex, Ford, Hudson, Jewett, La Salle, Oldsmobile, Overland, Packard, Plymouth, Saxon, Stanley, Studebaker, Stutz and White are among the manufacturers whose cars are included. The author provides a concise description of each automobile he covers, and points out its interesting features and technical details (horsepower and engine size, for example).