60 minSeason 2 • Episode 3
LatestJames explores the wilder shores of motoring to discover what happened to the cars of the future that we were promised. From improbable steam cars and ludicrous jet turbines, he reveals how the petrol engine and the power it gave us came to dominate the 20th century. He takes to the waves in an amphibious car, risks his life at the wheel of a notorious electric scooter and takes a hair-raising trip in the fastest driver-less car on earth.
James May takes a look at the 'peoples car'. Covering every form of cars for the masses - from the Beetle to the Kei Car, May looks at the many forms of people's car, their origins and their effect on history. Each episode covers a particular theme; these being cars from dictatorships, microcars and the dream cars we aspire to.
Writing
May's dry wit makes carburetors genuinely compelling.
Production
Gorgeous period footage that smells like old motor oil.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
May genuinely learned to drive for this series—he'd previously only operated automatics on Top Gear.
The 'people's car' concept was weaponized by multiple regimes as propaganda; May unpacks how Hitler, Stalin and even postwar Britain used affordable automobiles to sell political ideologies.
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