James May's Cars of the People

James May reveals the cars that turned post-war Germany and Japan into motoring powerhouses at the expense of Britain and the US. He also has an encounter with an Austin Allegro.

James May goes off-road to tell the story of how the 4x4 conquered the world. From the wartime jeep to the global struggle between Land Rover and Land Cruiser, the white-knuckle world of rallying and boy racers, plus James conquers Mount Fuji and races through the sun-scorched Mojave Desert to decide which is the ultimate people's 4x4.

James explores the wilder shores of motoring to discover what happened to the cars of the future that we were promised. From improbable steam cars and ludicrous jet turbines he reveals how the petrol engine and the power it gave us came to dominate the 20th century.