The sports cars of the 1950s to the 1970s are fast, beautiful, eccentric and innovative. In recent decades these automobiles not only became coveted collector's items; they also enjoy cult statu s. In an exciting journey through time the volume presents 25 outstanding sports cars as design icons and illuminates their presentation in film and photography. As a design object beyond its practical purpose, the automobile has left an indelible mark on the world we live in. There is scarcely another everyday item which has been designed in a more sophisticated and inventive manner and which offers a larger projection area. This can be seen with particular clarity in the sports car. The volume pays homag e to a selection of exclusive sports cars by legendary manufacturers, from Porsche to Ferrari to Jaguar, as artworks in their own right and as a unity of form, technology, design and emotions. Essays, selected texts and biographies shed light on the multi - layered development of automobile design and introduce the vehicles and their designers .