Here’s some mandatory viewing for car enthusiasts: the story of the British Motor Corporation, producer of many of the world’s most beloved cars. It’s a fascinating tale.

REVISED AND EXPANDED — There was a time when the British Motor Corporation resided at the center of the car enthusiast’s universe. Created in 1952 by the merger of England’s two major car makers, Austin and Morris, and their dozens of satellite companies, BMC produced many of the classic sports cars of the ’50s and ’60s, from Austin-Healey to MG. And there were all kinds of memorable passenger cars, too, from the Nash-badged Metropolitan to the revolutionary Morris-BMC Mini.

It didn’t last, of course. As the British motor industry descended into its long, painful decline, BMC absorbed Jaguar and became British Motor Holdings in 1966. Then in 1968, the company was merged (under government supervision) with Leyland Motors to become British Leyland Motor Combination, an ultimately fatal combination. The automaker went through several more reorganizations before it collapsed and its former parts were scattered throughout the automotive world, including to Germany, China, and India.

This short film, produced for BMC by British Pathé in 1962, captures the company when it was still the world’s fourth-largest automaker. Then, Britain looked to its auto industry as a valuable source of export revenue. Note the movie’s title: For the Markets of the World. And as the narrator explains, BMC was indeed Britain’s largest exporter. Here’s a priceless glimpse of the British car industry and auto manufacturing in the early 1960s. (And naturally, English car fans will encounter some fine automotive eye candy as well). Video follows.