The period between the two World Wars saw advances in car design going forward in leaps and bounds. Four-wheel hydraulic brakes, overhead valves, independent front suspension, pressure lubrication, synchromesh gears, even wind-up windows, were some of the major developments brought to car manufacture during these twenty years.Throughout this time there was, as always, a demand for cars that were faster, more sporting or more powerful than the run of the mill, and it is these sports and thoroughbred cars that this book is concerned with. It provides encyclopaedic coverage of more than 300 models from some 100 makers, all of them either open sports or high-performance cars. There is a short history of each marque, then each model is given a full description and specification together with comments on its place in the motoring scene, and every model is illustrated.Great marques like Bentley and Aston-Martin are mentioned of course, with the companies' histories recounted and each of their sports or thoroughbred cars described. Also mentioned are inspired but short-lived creations like the Alta, the Arab and the Atalanta.