Past Exhibition Ran from 23 November 2019 to 19 April 2020

Cars: Accelerating the Modern World

As we approach another major turning point in automotive design, this exhibition looked at the role of the car in shaping the world we live in today.

"A thrilling ride"

The Independent

This exhibition is now closed at V&A South Kensington

Over its short 130-year history, the car has become one of the most loved, contested and influential innovations in the world. It has revolutionised manufacturing, transformed how we move, forever changing our cities, environment and economies.

Exhibition Highlights

Patent-Motorwagen No. 3, Karl Benz, 1888.
Cloche Hat, Miss Fox, 1928 – 29, London. Museum no. T.203-1931. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Fight Automation Fallout with Fewer Hours of Work and No Loss of Pay – poster. © Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labour and Urban Affairs.
PopUp next © Italdesign.
Victoire, radiator mascot, designed by René Lalique, 1925. Museum no. CIRC.199-1972. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London .
Messerschmitt, KR200 Cabin Scooter Bubble Top, 1959. © Louwman Museum – The Hague (NL).
Antodrôme, fashion design by Madeleine Wallis for Paquin Ltd., late 1925, Paris. Museum no. E.4399-1957. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Graham is a recent project by Patricia Piccinini in collaboration with the Transport Accident Commission in Australia. © Transport Accident Commission .
An advert for the GM LaSalle from a series showing the car in various European locations. Illustrated by Edward A. Wilson, about 1927. © Courtesy of General Motors Company, LLC.
Hispano-Suiza Type HB6 ‘Skiff Torpedo’, Hispano-Suiza (chassis), Henri Labourdette (body), 1922. Photo by Michael Furman. © the Mullin Automotive Museum.

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Cars: Accelerating the Modern World
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Background image: E-Type Jag, opening of the M1 motorway, Vogue 1960. Photo Duffy. © Duffy Archive