The Key Meets Darwin: A Unique and Exclusive Story on the Evolution of the Automobile

Darwin taught us that the evolution of species is the result of natural selection and continuous improvement and adaptation to change. If we humans, like animal species, follow this natural law, why shouldn't automobiles do the same? The Key, with a highly interesting and fascinating work, has become the Darwin of the 20th century, starting with the first true automobile — meaning one that moved autonomously, without horses or rails — the Benz of 1886.

Charles Darwin's 1859 book, The Origin of the Species, introduced the theory that populations evolve over the course of generations through a process of natural selection.

Page after page, The Key presents the models that gradually created the different species of automobiles: the luxurious sedans, the family-oriented sedans, the small utility cars that began in 1922 with the Austin Seven and progressed to minivans—how could we forget the role of the VW Bulli? When did station wagons begin and how have they evolved? And what about off-road vehicles and the now-dominant SUVs? And what about the high-performance cars that originated in 1968 with the magnificent Ferrari 166MM and led to the McLaren road car, the F1? The history of sports cars gave rise to further species, with the more accessible English spiders and small Porsches, or even, a separate and ever-popular species, the high-performance station wagon.

The Key features the car models that created the various species, starting with the Benz Patent Motorwagen of 1886, through small economy cars, and finally, modern SUVs.

Each species, of course, has its own evolutionary path, as detailed as The Key, which devotes a full 24 pages to this extraordinary work, explains. Each has a beginning: for example, in the case of sporty family sedans, the beginning took place in 1952 when Alfa Romeo introduced the 1900. Never before had a family car had the performance and streamlined lines of that model. Then the species evolved, in 1962, once again with Alfa Romeo, which amazed the world with the Giulia and its bold, performance-oriented tailgate. A year later, Ford responded, aiming, in collaboration with Colin Chapman, for maximum lightness. This was the Lotus Cortina. And onward with the BMW 2002, which brought a new evolution with the Turbo. A species can also evolve by aiming for compactness: in 1975, the Golf GTI revolution took place: when had such a high-performance supercompact been introduced? Let's stop here. This story has a value and interest that cannot be summarized. Pages and pages that demonstrate how much the automobile has contributed through creativity to the pleasure of our lives and our dreams.

👉 Order The Key here: The Key 2024/2025