On This Day

Scottish born and educated John Boyd Dunlop applied to patent the pneumatic tyre as "an improvement in the tyres or wheels for bicycles, tricycles and other road tyres." Although Robert William Thomson, among his various other inventions, had an earlier patent for "carriage wheels" with a pneumatic tyre (1845), there was little demand for it in his lifetime, and was forgotten. To improve his son's bicycle, Dunlop reinvented the idea, and developed it into a commercially successful product. Continue Reading →

John Boyd Dunlop

Ransom E. Olds was issued a design patent for his "Vehicle Body", now commonly called the Curved-Dash Oldsmobile.

The first 2-cylinder, 8-bhp Ford Model A, the result of a partnership between Henry Ford and Detroit coal merchant Alexander Malcomson, was delivered to its owner, Dr Ernst Pfennig of Chicago. The Model A, ‘the most reliable machine in the world’, was designed primarily by Ford’s assistant C. Harold Wills. Continue Reading →

Ford Model A (1903)

The Automobile Club de la Sarthe organized the Grand Prix de France was won by Victor Hemery driving a FIAT S61. This race is not considered to be part of the lineage of French Grands Prix, as it was a separate event from the official French Grand Prix, the Grand Prix de l'ACF, organized by the Automobile Club de France from 1906 onwards.

The Luverne Motor Truck Company was incorporated in Minnesota, US by Al Leicher, his brother Edward and their sons Robert and Larry Leicher.

At the first post-war speed trial in England on the seafront at Westcliff, Essex, competitors included Malcolm Campbell (12 hp Talbot), Woolf Barnato (10 hp Calthorpe) and Yvonne Arnaud (10 hp Eric-Campbell)

The Studebaker Model ES Big Six Custom Sedan was introduced - the car was marketed as the 'President', the marque's first usage of this name.

Studebaker Model ES Big Six Custom Sedan

The world’s longest marathon car journey began. Between this day and 22nd July 1936, Francis Lecot driving a 11CV Citroen in France, covered 400,000km (c. 250,000 miles), at an average speed of 40 mph. Continue Reading →

11CV Citroen

Some 250,000 - 300,000 spectators turned up at the Nurburgring to witness Rudolph Caracciola win his sixth and Mercedes fifth German Grand Prix.

1939 German Grand Prix

Richie Evans, a nine-time NASCAR Modified champion, was born. The “Rapid Roman” from Rome, New York, US, is credited with 28 track championships at 11 speedways across the Northeast U.S. Continue Reading →

Richie Evans

Curtis Turner recorded his fourth victory of the year in the 100-mile NASCAR Grand National race at Charlotte Speedway, US. Lee Petty, who ranked third in the points standings, had all 809 points removed by NASCAR. During the three-week lull, Petty competed in a nonsanctioned stock car race, and NASCAR decided to strip all of his points for failing to compete within NASCAR sanctioning boundaries.

The first Dutch Grand Prix set to Formula One rules, staged at the Circuit Park Zandvoort, Netherlands, was won by French driver Louis Rosier in a Talbot-Lago.

Johnny Claes - 1950 Dutch Grand Prix

The first races were held at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, US. The main 60 mile event run over a 3.35 mile triangular road course laid out on public roads just west of Elkhart Lake was won by Jim Kimberly in a Ferrari 166 (56 minutes, 13. Continue Reading →

Jim Kimberly Ferrari 166

There were violent scenes around Britain as the strike by busmen in the English regions entered its fourth day. In some instances strike-breaking drivers were attacked and vehicles vandalised, including those with passengers on board.

Eddie Rickenbacker, namesake of Rickenbacker Motors, died in Zurich, Switzerland at the age of 82. An American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient, Rickenbacker was known as a race-car driver before World War I. He became America's premier flying ace during the war and returned home to a hero's welcome. Continue Reading →

Eddie Rickenbacker

Don Powell, drummer with Slade, was badly injured in a serious car crash in Wolverhampton, in which his 20-year-old girlfriend/fiancee Angela Morris was killed. He broke both of his ankles and five of his ribs. The accident left Powell with no senses of taste and smell, and to this day he has severe problems with his short-term memory, whilst his long-term memory has remained unaffected.

Don Powell

Chrysler Europe launched the Sunbeam, a three-door rear-wheel drive small hatchback similar in concept to the Ford Fiesta and Vauxhall Chevette.

Keyboard player Keith Godchaux died after being involved in a car accident in Marin County, California (US), aged 32. In 1994, he was inducted, posthumously, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Grateful Dead.

Keith Godchaux

Austin Rover announced its second new car launch of the year — the Rover 200, a four-door saloon which replaced the Triumph Acclaim and was the combine's second product from its venture with Japanese car maker Honda. As a result, the Triumph marque was discontinued by Austin Rover. There have been three distinct generations of the Rover 200 during its 21 years (1984-2005) production run. Continue Reading →

Rover 200 - 1984

The 1,000,000th Vauxhall Cavalier was sold. Sold primarily in the UK by Vauxhall from 1975 to 1995, it was based on an succession of Opel designs throughout its production life, during which it was built in three incarnations. The first generation of Cavalier, launched in 1975 and produced until 1981, was based on the existing Opel Ascona with a few minor visual differences. Continue Reading →

1990 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.4 L Saloon

Photocard driving licences were introduced in the United Kingdom, replacing the paper ones. Driver registration was introduced in 1903 with the Motor Car Act. Holders of the sulphur-yellow coloured document were entitled to "drive a motor car or motor cycle". Continue Reading →

A 1930 Bentley Speed Six, ‘the most original and significant surviving Bentley’, was sold at auction by Christie’s in Le Mans, France for $5.1 million, the highest price ever paid for a British car.

1930 Bentley Speed Six

The 654-foot Singapore-flagged Cougar Ace, a cargo ship carrying 4,813 cars from Japan to Canada, began tilting to its port side late at night hundreds of miles off Alaska's Aleutian Islands. 23 crew members were rescued the next day. The ship was owned by Tokyo-based Mitsui O. Continue Reading →

Cougar Ace

According to an article in Automotive News, Honda Motor Company Ltd. produced its 6 millionth Civic in North America.

Vauxhall revealed its replacement to the Vectra at the British Motor Show. The vehicle is known as the Vauxhall Insignia in the United Kingdom, and as the Buick Regal in China and North America. It was launched in Australia and New Zealand under the Holden marque in 2015.

Vauxhall Insignia - 2010

The British International Motor Show opened at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre in London's Docklands and was the last regular British International Motorshow. The SMMT promoted an all-new showcase of the latest electric vehicle models. "The Electric Vehicle Village" brought together one of the largest collections of zero-emissions vehicles ever seen in the UK, with a display of more than 20 vehicles which are propelled solely by battery power. Continue Reading →

Aston Martin at the British International Motor Show 2008.