Following the halt in sports car production caused by World War I, Europe returned to manufacturing automobiles from around 1920. It was around this time that the term 'Sports Car' began to appear in the motor catalogues, although the exact origin of the name is not known. The decade that followed became known as the vintage era and featured rapid technical advances over the preceding Brass Era cars. Engine performance benefited from the abandonment of "tax horsepower" (where vehicles were taxed based on bore and number of cylinders, rather than actual power output) and the introduction of leaded fuel, which increased power by allowing for higher compression ratios.
Following the halt in sports car production caused by World War I Europe returned to manufacturing automobiles from around 1920 It was around this time that the term 'Sports Car' began to appear in the motor catalogues although the exact origin of the name is not known The decade that followed became known as the vintage era and featured rapid technical advances over the preceding Brass Era cars Engine performance benefited from the abandonment of "tax horsepower" (where vehicles were taxed based on bore and number of cylinders rather than actual power output) and the introduction of leaded fuel which increased power by allowing for higher compression ratios