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All Seasons

Season 1

  • S01E01 The Morris Minor

    • January 2, 1992
    • BBC Two

    "My gracious, how spacious," went the 50s publicity for the car which became Britain's first to sell a million. Though it ceased production in 1971,100,000 Morris Minors are still on the road. Designed by Alec Issigonis (he went on to create the Mini), it was labelled "the poached egg" by his boss, William Morris. A variety of owners explain the fascination of this enduring model.

  • S01E02 The Blackpool Tram

    • January 9, 1992
    • BBC Two

    One time hi-tech transport, trams are being rediscovered as a solution to traffic and pollution in Blackpool.

  • S01E03 The Avro Shackleton

    • January 16, 1992
    • BBC Two

    RAF crews have been flying Shackletons for 40 years in the front line of the Cold War. Filmed during the last months of its long service, crew members reflect on the departure of an old friend.

  • S01E04 The Routemaster Bus

    • January 23, 1992
    • BBC Two

    Warren Clarke narrates a look at London's world-famous red Routemaster buses which, although designed in the 1950s for a lifespan of just 17 years, was in use into the next century.

  • S01E05 The Enfield Bullet

    • January 30, 1992
    • BBC Two

    British motorcycles all-but died out in the 1970s, but one is still being made in the Indian city of Madras - the Enfield Bullet.

  • S01E06 The FX4 London Taxi

    • February 6, 1992
    • BBC Two

    The series investigating great machines that refuse to die continues with a look at the FX4 London Taxi, which for over 30 years enjoyed a virtual monopoly on the streets of the capital. The arrival of a competitor, in the shape of the Metrocab, threatened to make the FX4 obsolete, until it was saved by a new Japanese engine and changes to the trim. Warren Clarke narrates the story of London's mobile landmark.

Season 2

  • S02E01 The Ford Transit

    • October 21, 1994
    • BBC Two

    The Transit transformed the image of the van when it hit the road in October 1965. Driven by everyone from pop stars and the police to bank robbers and shop keepers, the new streamlined vehicle attracted a wide and devoted following.

  • S02E02 The Airstream Caravan

    • October 28, 1994
    • BBC Two

    Known as the "Silver Bullet" and made entirely of aluminium, the Airstream Caravan is still in production after 60 years.

  • S02E03 Concorde

    • November 4, 1994
    • BBC Two

    The iconic plane's roots go back to the 1940s when the idea of supersonic travel was every aerodynamicist's dream. Now the craft faces an uncertain future as it heads into the next century. Stewardesses, pilots and passengers look back over Concorde's chequered history.

  • S02E04 The Milk Float

    • November 11, 1994
    • BBC Two

    The electric milk float is one of the most familiar vehicles on the road, but it has become the victim of its own success. Built like a tank to carry heavy batteries they simply don't wear out, new ones are rarely built and only one original manufacturer survives.

  • S02E05 The Ferguson TE 20 Tractor

    • November 18, 1994
    • BBC Two

    Named after its inventor, Harry Ferguson, this machine revolutionised farming after the Second World War. Nearly 40 years after production ceased, farmers and others explain why the tractor is still being used today.

  • S02E06 The DC-3 Dakota

    • November 25, 1994
    • BBC Two

    From its origins in passenger travel in the 1930s, through war and a return to civilian use, the Dakota has flown more miles and carried more passengers and cargo than any other aeroplane in the world. The reassuring drone of its two Pratt and Whitney engines has offered comfort to millions of passengers on the Douglas DC3 - "the most glamorous, successful and popular plane in airline history." The aircraft was developed in 1935 and more than 10,000 were built for wartime service alone. Nearly 60 years on, there are still 1,500 of these workhorses operating around the globe. "Like the Concorde," says one flyer, "the DC3 was 20 years ahead of its time." Freddie Laker started his airline business operating a DC3 on flights from Blackpool to the Isle of Man, and his aircraft company based at Southend built a plane, the Accountant, as a DC3 replacement. It flopped. That doesn't surprise the airlines of Colombia in South America, where one pilot says simply: "The only replacement is another DC3."