The 1970s was a decade which had begun in Britain and elsewhere with justified optimism for the future. There was a common view that the major manufacturers would continue to build better, safer and more fuel efficient cars to keep the ever increasing population on the move. But a combination of many factors meant that Britain’s leading manufacturers struggled to keep up with the times. The effect was that by the end of the decade, the number of new cars being built in Britain had fallen dramatically. Such long established names as Austin, Morris, Riley, Humber, Singer, Sunbeam, Wolseley and others had already either disappeared or were surviving thanks to substantial government hand-outs. Ford’s stable of cars, including the Escort, Cortina and Capri, which were aimed very much at the everyday motorist, managed to enjoy considerable success and in the late 1970s they were joined by the new compact Fiesta, which would remain in production well into the 21st Century. Photos of all the latest cars, major races, shows and other important motoring developments and activities are covered in this comprehensive volume as the motoring world constantly evolved.

The motor industry had already undergone huge changes since the earliest cars appeared on the streets at the end of the 1890s, but a century later saw some of the biggest changes to date. Although many of Britain's leading car brands from the middle years of the 20th Century were no longer around, there were still many fine cars being produced by Jaguar, Rolls-Royce, Rover, Mini, Aston Martin and others, along with the new MG models. There were also many changes on the road. Britain's substantial motorway network was now helping to keep millions of motorists on the move and a much greater effort to make vehicles and streets safer meant the number of serious injuries and fatalities had also declined significantly. In the rest of the world, companies such as Ford, Toyota, Fiat and others were all still producing many millions of cars which were now more reliable, with on-board computers playing a much greater role in controlling every aspect of a car's functions. The comfort levels for drivers and passengers had also improved beyond recognition, ensuring the driving experience was vastly greater than what the motoring pioneers had to endure at the beginning of the 20th Century.