The British car industry produced 1,971,311 cars in 1972, a record that still stands to this day. Meanwhile, UK car registrations totalled a then-record 1.7 million, with sales boosted by a reduction in purchase tax on new cars.

Elsewhere, British Leyland merged Triumph and Rover, Chrysler completed the purchase of Rootes Group, while in Germany, the VW Beetle passed the 15,007,003 production record set by the Ford Model T. But what of the cars that arrived in 1972? Here are 20 of the most significant