Motoring has come a long way since the late 1800s, but that doesn't detract from the beauty of early examples of high-end automotive engineering (Photos: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The 1970 Lamborghini Miura P400S gets its power from a mid-mounted V12 (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
About 140 P400S' were produced between 1968 and 1971 (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The 1956 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing was the fastest car in the world at its launch (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The SL is famous for its Gullwing doors (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
A 3.0-liter, six-cylinder engine is hiding beneath the SL's shapely flanks (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
Although it looks like a classic, the Safir GT40 was built in 2012 (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
All Safir GT40's are considered a continuation of the original production run (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The 1967 Chevrolet Camaro was Chevy's response to the legendary Ford Mustang (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
This Camaro's engine has recently been given a freshen up (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The 67' Camaro SS was meant to be a more motorsport-focused take on the muscle car (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The 1970 Dodge Challenger's styling echoes that of the Chevrolet Camaro (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
A 340 cubic inch V8 sits beneath the Challenger's long bonnet (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
A Challenger famously featured in the 1971 movie Vanishing Point (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The 1968 Dodge Challenger R/T was one of many Charger variants (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
Power comes from a 440 cubic inch V8 engine (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
This Charger puts its power down through a Torqueflite automatic gearbox (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
This particular Mustang is a recreation of Eleanor from "Gone in 60 Seconds" (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
Power comes from a 427 Windsor V8 engine (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
Eleanor has been restored twice in her lifetime (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
At the time of production, the 1967 Shelby GT500 was the most powerful Mustang in production (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
Carroll Shelby was a Le Mans race winner in 1959, and turned his hand to tuning Mustangs shortly afterwards (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
This Shelby GT500 is finished in Dark Moss Green (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
This GT500 is a Fastback bodyshape (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
Carroll Shelby's tuning company was founded in 1962 (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
This GT350 Mustang is finished in the iconic blue and white livery (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
Alan Jones won the 1980 F1 World Championship in this Williams FW07/04 (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The FW07 was the first F1 car to take advantage of ground effects (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The 1991 Nissan GT-R R32 was nicknamed "Godzilla" (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
This R32 was raced by Australian touring car legend Mark Skaife (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The 1948 Lago Talbot Type 26C was built for the new Formula One Grand Prix held at Silverstone (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
F1 has come a long way since the early days (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
Power comes from a 4.5-liter, six-cylinder engine (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
Lago Talbot cars finished fourth and fifth in the 1950 Grand Prix behind three Alfa Romeos (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The Mercedes 300C Sedan was the brand's largest and most prestigious car for much of the 50's (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The 300C is powered by a 3.0-liter inline six (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The 3-pointed star sits proud on the 300's bonnet (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
Fins were the order of the day for Chevrolet in the 1950's (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
This Bel Air Sports Coupe has been converted to right hand drive for its Australian owner (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air has been described as America's favourite car (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The Bel Air is powered by a 283 cubic inch V8 (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The original Mustang's interior has inspired Ford's design on its modern Mustangs (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
Shelby struck a deal with rental company Hertz to create some special edition Mustangs that were later sold as GT350-H models (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
Ford later tried to pay homage to the Hertz Mustang with a modern recreation (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
This 1965 Jaguar E-Type is powered by a 4.2-liter six cylinder motor (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
Enzo Ferrari described the E-Type as "the most beautiful car ever made" (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The Citroen 2CV6 (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The original 2CV was designed to carry two farmers and 50 kg of potatoes at speeds up to 60 km/h (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The Mercedes 190SL was sold alongside the faster, more expensive 300SL Gullwing (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The 190SL's styling is gorgeous, even if it lacks the novelty factor of Gullwing doors (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The 1960 MK1 Austin Healy Sprite has been known as "Frogeye" and "Bugeye" becuase of its headlamps (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The Sprite was designed to be a low-cost sportscar for the masses (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The 1960 Messerschmitt KR200 is a bubble car that would look at home in the Jetsons (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
Just because the Messerschmitt is small doesn't mean it can't be practical – just look at that ski rack (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The Jaguar XK120 Super Sports caused a stir when it made its first public appearance at the 1948 London Motor Show (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The Jaguar XK120 Super Sports is powered by a 3.5-liter engine (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The 1936 Mercedes Benz 540K Supercharged Cabriolet's interior is a perfect example of 1930's luxury (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The three pointed star sitting on the Benz's bonnet hasn't changed throughout the ages (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The Bentley Speed Six won Le Mans five times (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
This 1930 Speed Six was imported for the West Australian Police Force, where it served for 15 years (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
Gangster Al Capone owned an identical Cadillac (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The 1930 Cadillac Series 42 Limousine was powered 7.4-liter V16 engine (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
This 1929 Austin 7 Chummy Tourer has one of the happiest names in motoring (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The Austin 7 was one of the most popular cars ever produced in Britain (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
This 1927 Roadster was one of the variations Ford produced of its Model T (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
This car was restored for a rally in 2008 (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The 1926 Delage Boat Tail Roadster was developed by Louis Delage, who founded Delage in 1905 (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The car draws its Boat Tail name from the tapering rear end (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
Badges were like jewellery in the early days of motoring (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The 1916 Stutz Bearcat was a road-going adaptation of the car Henry Stutz built to tackle Indianapolis in 1911 (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The Bearcat put its power down through a three-speed gearbox (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
Renault was an early giant in the automotive world (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The 1909 Renault AX was powered by a water-cooled two cylinder engine (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
Only 16 Peugeot Type 56s were built (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
This Type 56 was built in 1903 (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The Type 56 from 1903 will still do 40 km/h (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
Depending on who you ask, the Benz Velo is where the car began (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
This "car" paved the way for other manufacturers to pursue mass production motoring (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
Motoring has come a long way since the late 1800s, but that doesn't detract from the beauty of early examples of high-end automotive engineering (Photos: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
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It's safe to say that motoring has changed a bit since the early 1900s. Modern cars are more luxurious, cheaper and safer than ever – a fact that we often take for granted. Gizmag was recently given the chance to chart the progression of motoring at the Australian Motoring Festival, where we saw everything from the motorized marvels of the late 1800s through to today's luxurious chariots.
Here's some of our favorite cars from the History that Moves exhibit at the show:
A 3.0-liter, six-cylinder engine is hiding beneath the SL's shapely flanks (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
The Mercedes 300SL Gullwing is remembered for its unusual upward-opening doors. Powered by a 3.0-liter straight six, the 300SL inspired Mercedes' SLS AMG sportscar in 2010.
Enzo Ferrari described the E-Type as "the most beautiful car ever made" (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
No discussion about glamorous cars would be complete without mentioning the Jaguar E-Type. When it debuted at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show, the E-Type could sprint to 60 mph (98 km/h) in 6.9 seconds thanks the 260 hp (194 kW) 3.8-liter inline six lurking beneath its long, low bonnet. The E-Type also has the enviable honor of being described the “most beautiful car ever made” by Enzo Ferrari. Much like Mercedes with its SLS, Jaguar has recently paid homage to the E-Type with its F-Type Roadster and Coupe.
This car was restored for a rally in 2008 (Photo: Nick Lavars/Gizmag.com)
Where would we be without the Model-T Ford? Henry Ford’s mass-produced masterpiece sold in unprecedented numbers - the man himself watched the 15 millionth Model T roll off the line in 1927. This particular car is a Roadster, finished in color combination that makes a mockery of the idea that you can have a Model-T in “any color so long as it’s black.”
That's just a small taste of the incredible spread of classics on display – check out our History that Moves gallery for a thorough look at the highlights.
Based in Melbourne, Australia, Scott grew up with a passion for cars and a love of writing. He now combines the two by covering all things automotive for New Atlas. When he’s got a spare moment, you can usually find him freezing himself silly in search of fresh powder to ski.