On This Day

Brothers Philander H and Francis M Roots of Connersville, Illinois, US were issued with a United States patent for their supercharger, a design that would be extensively adopted by the automobile industry many years later.

Henry and Clara Ford moved to Detroit, Michigan, US.

The first gas-powered bus service in Great Britain was started in Bradford by J E Tuke of the Yorkshire Motor Car Company Ltd.

Ford signed a contract signed to sell the Model T in China.

British racer Sir Malcolm Campbell established a new world land-speed record of 146.16 mph at Pendine Sands in Carmarthenshire, Wales driving the 350-bhp Sunbeam Bluebird.

Malcolm Campbell - Pendine Sands, 1924

Henry Ford announced the 8-hour, 5-day working week. He had already angered other industrialists by doubling his workers' pay to $5 for an eight-hour day. The moves weren't altruistic; Ford expected the same level of production from his workers in less time, and believed if he paid them well, he'd create a bigger market for his cars.

American driver Bill Schindler crashed during a sprint race in Mineola, New York. Three days after the accident, his left leg had to be amputated, but this loss did not prevent him from continuing his career.

Bill Schindler

George L Weisse (83), a cofounder of the Packard Motor Car Company, did in Garden Gove, Califormia, US.

The sixth race of the inaugural NASCAR Strictly Stock season was held at Martinsville Speedway, Virginia, US. Curtis Turner won the pole. Red Byron all but wrapped up the 1949 Strictly Stock championship with an overwhelming triumph in the 100-miler at Martinsville Speedway. Continue Reading →

Red Byron

General Motors announced a two-year, 24,000-mile blanket warranty on all of its 1963 cars and trucks.

The 1966 Ford Thunderbirds were introduced.

Brinklin Canada Ltd declared itself bankrupt, ending production after a two year run of 2,872 cars.

Richard Noble in his 17,000 lb thrust Rolls-Royce Avon 302 jet powered Thrust II achieved a speed of 263.92 mph at Greenham Common, Berkshire – the highest land speed attained in Great Britain.

Thrust II

Ford announced that its best-selling Cortina nameplate would be discontinued in 1982, and its replacement would be called the Sierra.

For the first time since the World Championship began in 1950, a country hosted three rounds in the same season in 1982. The Las Vegas Grand Prix, the final race of the year, and the third in the US, decided the Championship. Keke Rosberg of Williams had 42 points, to 33 for McLaren's John Watson, and needed to finish sixth or better to secure the title. Continue Reading →

Las Vegas Grand Prix - 1982

The European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch race saw Bruno Giacomelli score his final championship point, and was the first race for qualified doctor and current circuit owner Jonathan Palmer. It also took place exactly 22 years before the inaugural A1 Grand Prix event at Brands Hatch, September 25, 2005. It was the only race in F1 history that both Toleman cars finished in the points.

Dr Jonathan Palmer made his Formula 1 debut at Brands Hatch in the European Grand Prix driving for Williams. He scored a total of 14 championship points, with a career best finish of 4th. In 1987 he won the Jim Clark Cup for drivers without turbocharged engines, with team-mate Philippe Streiff his main rival. Continue Reading →

Jonathan Palmer

Ray Harroun's place in history was sealed when the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp featuring the famous racing champion. Continue Reading →

Rusty Wallace scored a one-car-length victory over Dale Earn­hardt at Martinsville, Virginia, US. Despite eight wins to Earnhardt's three, Wallace trailed by 222 points and was effectively out of the championship hunt.

The Portuguese Grand Prix was won by Damon Hill driving for the Williams team. David Coulthard finished second in the other Williams, with Mika Häkkinen third in a McLaren car. Hill's win was his fifth of the season and his third consecutive win having won both the preceding Belgian and Italian Grand Prix.

Damon Hill, Rothmans Williams-Renault FW16, 1994 Portuguese Grand Prix, Estoril

British fighter-pilot Andy Green set a new land-speed record in the Thrust SSC vehicle, jet-powering to an impressive 714.144 mph over the 1-mile course in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada.

Thrust SSC

The Neiman Marcus Edition of the model year 2002 Ford Thunderbird set a world record for any vehicle offered through the Neiman catalogue. The 200 vehicles [intended to be collectors' items] were completely sold out within 2 hours and 15 minutes after the phone lines opened.

General Motors announced the 2002 model year would be the last for the Chevrolet Camaro and the Pontiac Firebird.

The Caterham Superlight R500 broke the world road car record for speeding from standing to 100 mph and then back to standing, completing the test in an astounding 11.44 seconds. The previous record time of 11.50 seconds had been set in 1999, in a MacLaren F1 LM car, specifically shod in bespoke race tyres.

Caterham Superlight R500

The Zonda C12 S Monza debuted at the Paris Motor Show as a track-day version of the Zonda for private use. Also presented at the Show was the new stylish Citroën C5, available as a five-door hatchback or saloon.

Zonda C12 S

Chinese officials gathered at the brand-new Shanghai International Circuit racetrack in anticipation of the next day's inaugural Formula One Chinese Grand Prix. Though Formula One racing was traditionally a European sport, the builders and boosters of the state-sponsored Shanghai track--part of an elaborate complex called the Shanghai International Auto City--hoped that they could help the sport catch on in Asia. In particular, they hoped their high-tech raceway would draw attention and investment to the fledgling Chinese auto industry.

Shanghai International Circuit racetrack

The A1 Grand Prix of Nations, Brands Hatch, Great Britain was held, the first full racing event in A1GP’s history. A1 Team Brazil’s Nelson Piquet Jr took the double, winning both the 'Sprint' and the 'Feature' races.

In Australia, 20 high-tech solar-powered cars from 10 countries set off on a 3,000 kilometre (1,860 mile) race across the vast outback in the 8th World Solar Challenge. The Nuna team of the Delft University of Technology from the Netherlands scored a hat-trick with their third victory in a row; their Nuna 3 winning with a record average speed of 103 km/h (64 mph).

Nuna 3

Porsche announced that it had taken a 20% stake in Volkswagen to shield Europe's biggest car maker from a hostile takeover.

Fernando Alonso won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship title at the age of 24 years and 58 days, at the time making him the youngest Formula One World Drivers' Champion. After retaining the title the following year, Alonso also became the youngest double Champion. He joined McLaren in 2007, before returning to Renault for two seasons in 2008 and 2009, and in 2010, he joined Scuderia Ferrari.

Fernando – 2005

Pagani claimed a new record for production supercars using the Pagani Zonda F Clubsport by completing the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit in 7 minutes 27.82 seconds. This record has since been beaten by other cars, including the Maserati MC12 and the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR.

Pagani Zonda F Clubsport

Abarth, the firm that found fame tuning Fiats for racing, was officially relaunched as a car company in its own right in Turin, Italy. The event saw the production edition of the brand’s first new road model in 25 years, a 150bhp 1.4 litre Abarth Grande Punto. Continue Reading →

Abarth Grande Punto

In India, a Nano hatchback, billed as the world's cheapest car, caught fire in New Delhi under unexplained circumstances. The next day Tata Motors launched an inquiry.

Tata Nano engine

California’s Governor Jerry Brown signed SB1298 making robotic vehicles legal in the state. This made California the third state to approve driverless vehicles.

The Proton Iriz, the company's first B-segment 5-door hatchback, was launched at the Proton plant in Tanjung Malim, Perak, by former Malaysian Prime Minister, Dr.Mahathir Mohamad, who was also Proton's chairman and founding father. The Iriz was powered by an all-new range of 1.3L VVT and 1.6L VVT Proton engines and was designed with a larger emphasis on global markets and met Euro 4 emission.