1930s cars: what Britain built and drove between the wars

1922 to 1939 | Austin, Britain

The car that put Britain on wheels was still on sale throughout the decade. Its 747cc four-cylinder engine powered around 290,000 cars and vans by the time production ended in 1939.

Buying guide

1932 to 1937 | Ford, Britain

Built mainly at Dagenham from 1932, the 933cc Model Y gave Ford a small car for British and European buyers. More than 100,000 were made at Dagenham before production ended in 1937.

1935 to 1937 | Morris, Britain

Morris's answer to the Ford Model Y used a 918cc side-valve engine closely based on Ford's eight horsepower unit. The Series II replaced it in 1937. Around 164,100 were built, and it became one of the great Morris successes of the decade.

1932 to 1947 | Austin, Britain

Slotted between the Seven and the larger Twelve, the Ten was Austin's best-selling car of the 1930s. It stayed in production until 1947.

Introduced 1932, pre-war design built into the late 1940s | Hillman (Rootes), Britain

The 1,185cc Minx arrived as Hillman came under Rootes control and gained synchromesh gears by the middle of the decade. The same basic design, refreshed over the years, carried on after the war.

Buying guide

1937 to 1940 | Vauxhall, Britain

The first British car built with integral, or monocoque, construction, it also had hydraulic brakes and independent front suspension. More than 42,000 reached British owners before war stopped production in 1940.

1936 to 1939 | MG, Britain

The first of the T-series swapped the old overhead-camshaft engine for a 1,292cc pushrod unit derived from the Morris Ten. Purists objected, but 3,003 were built.

Buying guide

1935 until the Second World War | SS Cars, Britain

The car that introduced the Jaguar name in September 1935, it used a Weslake-designed overhead-valve head. About 309 were built, with a 3.5-litre version joining the 2.5-litre car for 1938.

From 1936 | Morgan, Britain

Morgan's first four-wheeler arrived in 1936 with a Coventry Climax engine. By 1939 a Standard overhead-valve engine was also offered.

Buying guide

1934 to 1957 | Citroen, France (also built in Slough)

One of the first mass-produced cars with front-wheel drive, it also had a monocoque body with no separate chassis. British buyers could buy versions assembled at Citroen's Slough factory.