On July 16, 1909 automotive pioneer August Horch founded August Horch Automobilwerke GmbH in Germany. A short time later he renamed the company after the Latin translation of his last name – making it Audi Automobilwerke. In 1932, Audi merged with Horch, DKW and Wanderer, to form Auto Union AG.

The BMW name stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH. BMW was created in 1917 from the Munich firm Rapp-Motorenwerke. The company was incorporated into Knorr-Bremse AG in 1920 before being refounded as BMW AG in 1922. It was the successor of Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG, founded in 1916

The ultimate Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company adopted its current name in 1945 and began producing its line of cars in 1947.

Jaguar's business was founded as the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922, originally making motorcycle sidecars before developing bodies for passenger cars

The Rover Company began as a bicycle manufacturer in Warwickshire, England. 1947: The original Land Rover design, inspired by a Jeep axle and chassis, was created by engineer and Rover Company Chairman Maurice Wilks, while Wilks was with his brother Spencer on their farm in Wales.

Benz was hot on their tracks, producing his first 4-wheeler in 1891. By 1900 his firm, Benz & Cie was the world's largest automaker. The first models to bear the Mercedes name were a series of DMG sports cars named after the daughter of a wealthy entrepreneur and auto racing enthusiast Emil Jellinek, Mercedes

The history of the Porsche automobile brand began in 1948 with the Type 356, but the groundwork for the company was laid in the design office of Professor Ferdinand Porsche. The first order book in 1930 recorded the start-up phase of a legend in the making.