The life-cycle of Barcelona's automobile industry cluster has lasted more than a century. The main reason for the good performance of the cluster in the long term was the externalities created within the district, which were mainly of a Marshallian type. The second key cause of its satisfactory performance was the adoption of strategic policy. The emergence of hub-firms, which performed as leaders of the district, can be considered the third reason for success. Institutions also mattered, even if they were the least significant factor.