As with all technologies, the automobile has evolved through time to reflect the changing needs of its customers. When we needed to travel farther, the car changed to get us there. When we wanted to go faster, manufacturers figured out how. But how did folks understand that evolution back in the late 1970s? Sit back to find out.

This video from General Motors is a great example of both automotive design as well as film techniques of the era. It’s only 20 minutes long, but you can write this down as fulfilling your history requirement for the day.

I’ve always been fascinated by the first swaths of cars that came into existence, how it took a while for automakers to realize that a car didn’t just have to be a carriage without a horse, how drivers and passengers need not be exposed to the elements.

This film tracks the big stuff—safety evolution—alongside the small—the purpose of a fender’s curve. It’s a great way to just relax and enjoy the changes that brought us all the way up to 1977.