In the 18th and 19th centuries, Coventry became one of the three main UK centres of watch and clock manufacture and ranked alongside Prescot and Clerkenwell in London. As the industry declined, due mainly to competition from Swiss made clock and watch manufacturers, the skilled pool of workers proved crucial to the setting up of bicycle manufacture and eventually the motorcycle, automobil , machine tool and aircraft industries. Also see Classic Cars of Coventry

Over 100 different companies have produced motor vehicles in Coventry, car production came to an end in 2006 as the last ever car rolled off the lines at Peugeot's Ryton plant.
The design headquarters of Jaguar cars is still in the city at Whitley, their last plant at Browns Lane having closed in 2004.

Coventry suffered severe bomb damage during World War II, most notoriously from a massive Nazi German Luftwaffe air raid (the "Coventry Blitz") on 14 November 1940. This led to severe damage to large areas of the city centre and Coventry's historic cathedral was ravaged by firebombs leaving only a shell and the spire.

Coventry was largely rebuilt gaining a new pedestrians shopping precinct (the first of its kind in Europe on such a scale) and in 1962 Sir Basil Spence's much-celebrated new St Michael's Cathedral (incorporating the world's largest tapestry) was consecrated. Its pre-fabricated steel spire was lowered into place by helicopter.