The book, Classic Cars: Fifty Years of the World's Finest Automotive Designs examines the finest automobiles from the pioneering days to the conclusion of the golden age of motoring at the end of the 1930s.  The first part of "Classic Cars: Fifty Years of the World's Finest Automotive Designs" describes the history of the early years of the motorcar with its "forefathers, breakthroughs and set-backs".  Examples of these early vehicles include Nicholas Cugnot's first steam carriage of 1769 and ending with Leon Serpollet's aerodynamic curiosity called the "Easter Egg".  The story is then traced from the true motor vehicles like Karl Benz's & Gottfried Daimler's petrol driven tricycles and quadricycles of the 1880s up through the second decade of the 20th century when mass production had become established.  Part Two of "Classic Cars: Fifty Years of the World's Finest Automotive Designs" is devoted to a marquee by marquee account of the great cars that traveled the roads of Europe and America during the inter-war years.  The major sections of "Classic Cars: Fifty Years of the World's Finest Automotive Designs" are as follows: 1) Introduction; 2) Part I: The Pioneers; 3) Part II: The Great Marques and 4) Index.  Part I includes the following chapters: 1) Wheels into Motion; 2) Steam Locomotion; 3) Steam Technology; 4) Electric Propulsion; 5) The Electric Car: For and Against; 6) The Rise of the Internal Combustion Engine; 7) Early Automobile Technology; 8) The Cars of the Edwardian Era; 9) From Craft to an Industry; 10) The Fascination of Speed and 11) Motoring Curiosities.  Part II includes the following chapters: 12) France; 13) Germany; 14) Great Britain; 15) Italy and 16) The United States.  In addition to an informative narrative, "Classic Cars: Fifty Years of the World's Finest Automotive Designs" includes the following features: 1) Approximately 122 black and white vintage photographs; 2) About 401 color photographs; 3) Approximately 6 black and white illustrations and 4) About 75 color illustrations.  This book is 368 pages and is in good condition.  The editors are Kevin Brazendale and Enrica Aceti with Brian Laban (introduction).  Edition published in 1981.