The V&A's new exhibition is all about cars

The Victoria and Albert Museum is holding the kind of exhibition that Top Gear can really get behind, because it’s all about the design object we love the most. Cars: Accelerating the Modern World (running until 19 April 2020) is a large-scale exhibition that will explore how the car has transformed the world, in terms of product design, technology, the environment (both built and natural) and also psyche. Don’t worry, it’s not going to be a stuffy lecture – there’s plenty of car culture to enjoy...

As you’d expect, one of the 15 cars in the exhibition space is the mother of them all, the 1888 Benz Motorwagen No. 3. Thanks, Karl and Bertha – we owe you one.

It ranges through to the Italdesign Pop.Up Next concept. Both these represent the dream of freedom that personal mobility offered in two forms: the horseless carriage and the electric, shared ownership, autonomous flying car. No difference there, really.

In between, there are the major design and technological trends that defined the 20th century. For example, personalisation (a 1922 Hispano-Suiza HB6 ‘Skiff Torpedo’)...

… streamlining (the Tatra T77)…

… and the futuristic jet age (the 1953 GM Firebird 1 concept is coming over to UK shores for the first time).

These all come together in the pursuit of pure speed, in land-speed record attempts and motorsport, such as this beautiful 1937 Delahaye 145GP.

Keeping the cars company are 240 objects to help map out the story. Expect quirky adverts from around the world, such as this Iranian one for the Iran Khodro Paykan (a Hillman Hunter made under licence between 1967 and 2005 (!)). Because a ‘new’ car launch always deserves a circle dance...

There’s also a history of the parallel technological drives to make cars faster, yet also safer. Graham, the research dummy for road crash safety will be there.

Best of all, the exhibition will feature specially commissioned films of the various car subcultures around the world. From lowriders to the Japanese scene, the V&A is showing the kind of films you see here at TopGear.com all the time. Glad to you have you on board, Vicky and Albo – enjoy the ride.