Books in the “Small Encyclopedia” series from the Slovak publishing house “Slovart” have long conquered the European market. They are familiar to readers in France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland. And finally - for the first time! - these very interesting educational publications are published in Russian. The series will include the books “Antique Cars (1885–1940)”, “Cars (1940–1965)”, “Sports Cars”, “Sailing Ships” , “Motorcycles”, “Steam Locomotives”, “Planes”, “Passenger ships”. The book will allow the reader to navigate the history of the production and development of passenger cars, from the first horseless carriages to the models of the thirties, the design of which formed the basis of the concept of modern automotive industry. The authors present this development as a worldwide process and consider the car as a whole, as well as its component parts: body, wheels, radiator and steering wheel. Descriptions and illustrations are arranged chronologically, covering the period from 1770 to 1940. In addition to technical descriptions, the book contains interesting facts related to the history of the creation of cars, with the fate of their designers, and is intended for a wide range of readers.