In this video from the ABC Science vault, Justin Murphy re-traces the history of the Australian car industry from the original Australian-made car, the 1901 Tarrant, through war, depression and war again – events that lead to the production of the first Holden.

It’s a tale of challenges and triumphs as well as missed opportunities and contains extensive and rare interviews with Sir Laurence Hartnett, the man who did more than anyone to create the local industry.

This program was first broadcast in 1986, shortly after Sir Laurence passed away. It remains a definitive account of how the Australian car industry came to be.