The Car

In 1886, German inventor and engineer, Karl Benz, has his patent accepted for what is regarded as the world’s first automobile, but it’s a failure. Benz doesn't sell a single one for two years. Facing financial ruin he plunges into depression. Thankfully for humanity one person sees great potential in his "motor wagon" - someone who also knows how to create a bit of publicity, his wife Bertha.

In 1909, the Model T’s first year of production, Henry Ford sells over 10,000 cars at $825 each. It’s a promising start, but it’s still only affordable for the well off. Ford has set his sights on creating a car for "everyman." He needs to speed up the Model T’s construction and slash its price in half. Therein lays the challenge. The solution comes from a visit to a Chicago slaughterhouse.

Go for a ride through the 9,000-year history of the car, from its roots in dogsleds to Henry Ford’s affordable and assembly line-built Model T, and meet the scientists working on the next generation of self-driving automobiles.