The first ever cars were made in the 1890s in Europe and America. It was very expensive to import them into Australia, so only wealthy people could afford to buy them here. In 1901 Harley Tarrant’s company launched a Tarrant motor car that used an imported Benz engine. This was the first petrol-driven car made in Australia that actually worked successfully and that was sold commercially. In 1903 the company released its 2-cylinder, 6-kilowatt, petrol-driven Tarrant. It was 90% Australian made – only a few items such as some electrical components had to be imported. In 1905 Tarrant produced a larger version – the tourer. By 1907 the company had produced 20 cars, but it had to cease production as it could no longer compete against cheaper imported cars. After World War I other designs were launched, including the Australian Six and the Pioneer Lincoln, but their firms lost money and closed with large debts. Although all these cars were not a success at the time, they were important to show that Australians did not always have to depend on other countries to create what they needed.