On This Day

The first automobile race was held in Austria. The 5.5 km race at the Trabrennbahn in Vienna was won by Baron Theodor von Liebieg driving the Nesseldorf Wien.

The Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers (ALAM) sued the Ford Motor Company for violating the George Selden 'automobile' Patent.

Henry Ford was elected President of the Ford Motor Company succeeding the late John S Gray.

Henry Ford

Middleweight boxing champ Harry Greb (30), known as The Human Windmill, died on the operating table during surgery to repair a fractured nose sustained during an automobile accident. He fought a recorded 298 times in his 13 year-career, against the best opposition the talent-rich 1910s & 20s could provide him, frequently squaring off against light heavyweights and even heavyweights.Widely considered one of the best fighters of all time, Greb was named the 7th greatest fighter of the past 80 years by The Ring Magazine, the 5th greatest fighter of all-time by historian Bert Sugar and ranked as the #1 middleweight and the #2 pound-for-pound fighter of all-time by the International Boxing Research Organization.

Harry Greb

The Pep Auto Supply Company changed its corporate name to Pep Boys - Manny Moe & Jack. The name was changed because of a policeman who worked near the store: Every time the officer stopped a car for not having an oil wick burning during nighttime hours, he would tell the driver, "Go see the boys at Pep" for a replacement. In 1923 on a trip to California, Moe Strauss noticed that many successful West Coast businesses used their owners' first names. Continue Reading →

More details Pep Boys logo from June 6, 2004 to July 22, 2013.

The first test-drives of the Volkswagen vehicle began, and employees drove the VW 3-series model over 800 kilometers a day, making any necessary repairs at night. After three months of vigorous testing, Porsche and his engineers concluded, in their final test verdict, that the Volkswagen "demonstrated characteristics which warrant further development." In 1938, the first Volkswagen in its final form was unveiled, a 38-series model that The New York Times mockingly referred to as a "Beetle". The ‘Beetle’ would serve as an instrument of Nazi propaganda to help a shattered nation’s economic recovery and would later be a symbol of 1960s counter-culture.

VW Beetle Type 1 (1949) interior

The first post-World War II Plymouth, a P15S Deluxe saloon, was produced.

The Lincoln-Mercury Division was established. With the war over, Mercury was slowly resuming production with 1942 models. By year's end, Mercury production total was 2,848 vehicles.

The Renault 4CV was released at the Paris Motor Show, signalling new energy in small car design. In its 14-year production run, more than one million 4CVs were built, which significantly assisted the French working class in getting mobilised. Developed in secret in occupied France during the war, which might explain why it ended up being rear-engined and looking the way it did. Continue Reading →

Renault 4CV

The Healey 100 was introduced at Earls Court, London. Leonard Lord, Chairman of the newly created British Leyland Corporation, immediately began negotiations with Donald Healey that would lead to the Austin-Healey. t was developed by Donald Healey to be produced in-house by his small Healey car company in Warwick and based on Austin A90 Atlantic mechanicals. Continue Reading →

Healey 100 (1954)

Dodge introduced its Red Ram V8, claimed to have more horsepower per cubic inch than any other volume-produced engine.

Red Ram V8 engine

Reliant exhibited their first three-wheeled car, the Regal Mark I at the London Motor Show, although an earlier prototype had been shown at the Cycle and Motor Show in 1951. The Mark I however, was not manufactured until 1953 as Reliant made many modifications to the production vehicle shaving off both weight and price for it to qualify for reduced road tax. The car was powered by a 747 cc side-valve water cooled engine and had an aluminum body fixed onto an ash frame, which in turn was mounted to a steel box section chassis. Continue Reading →

Reliant Regal (1953-1973)

The Studebaker-Packard Corporation acquired the Murray Body Company, a longtime independent producer of automobile bodies.

The Ford Thunderbird went on sale as a 1955 model, and sold briskly; 3,500 orders were placed in the first ten days of sale. Ford had only projected building 10,000; eventual 1955 sales were 16,155. As standard, the 1955 Thunderbird included a removable fiberglass top; a fabric convertible top was an option, although commonly specified. Continue Reading →

1955 Ford Thunderbird brochure

Daimler-Benz AG officially withdrew from racing.

Richard Pape in an Austin A90 Westminster arrived in Cape Town after an epic journey of 86 days from North Cape, covering over 17,000 miles, to become the first man to transverse the world’s largest landmass (Afro-Eurasia) by car.

1955 Austin A90 Westminster, Richard Pape's Expedition Vehicle

After the sales of Volkswagen on the US market began increasing by leaps and bounds, "Volkswagen of America, Inc." was formed.

The 1958 Rambler and Rambler America model range's were introduced.

1958 Rambler model range

New models of bubble cars from Germany were the hit at the opening of the British Motor Show. In FMR's four-wheel Tg500 (£654, including tax), the driver sat alone in front, with one or two passengers behind. It did 52 mpg, and was so stable that it reportedly could not be overturned. Continue Reading →

FRM Tg500

Joe Weatherly surged to the front in the late stages to win the Southeastern 500, just the second race for NASCAR’s top series at Bristol Motor Speedway, Tennessee, US. Weatherly passed Rex White with 82 laps to go and leads the rest of the 500-lap race, holding off White by seven car-lengths at the finish. Nelson Stacy came home third as the only other car on the lead lap. Continue Reading →

President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Highway Beautification Act, in an attempt to limit billboards and other forms of outdoor advertising, as well as with junkyards and other unsightly roadside messes, along America's interstate highways. The Highway Beautification Act was actually the pet project of the first lady, Lady Bird Johnson. The act also encouraged "scenic enhancement" by funding local efforts to clean up and landscape the green spaces on either side of the roadways.

The first British 8-second run (official record session) took place at Elvington, Yorkshire at the International Sprint Organisation Records Weekend.Tony Densham in the Commuter recorded runs of 9.418, 9. Continue Reading →

The Datsun 240Z sportscar was introduced. The first draft of the Datsun 240Z was created by German car designer Dr. Albrecht Graf von Goertz, a man who co-designed both the BMW 507 and the Porsche 911. Continue Reading →

Production ceased of the MGB, Britain's best-selling sports car. It was produced by the British Motor Corporation and sold under the MG marque. Available in both convertible and coupe ("GT") forms, it was launched in May 1962 to replace the MGA.

MGB

Ayrton Senna won the British F3 race at Thruxton, England.

Canadian Garry Sowerby and American Tim Cahill completed the first trans-Americas automobile journey, driving from Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in a total elapsed time of 23 days, 22 hours, and 43 minutes. The pair drove the 14,739-mile distance in a 1988 GMC Sierra K3500 four-wheel-drive pickup truck powered by a 6.2-litre V8 Detroit diesel engine. The vehicle and team were surface-freighted from Cartagena, Colombia, to Balboa, Panama, so as to bypass the dangerous Darien Gap of Colombia and Panama.

Cahill, left, and Sowerby celebrate the completion of their 1987 record Pan-Americana Highway drive in Alaska.

Jaguar XJ220 made its public debut as a concept car at the Birmingham Motor Show, England. JaguarSport created a purpose built factory at Bloxham, near Oxford for a limited production run of 350 cars. It went into production in 1990, costing £350,000 and becoming the world's fastest production car with a top speed of 220 mph. Continue Reading →

Jaguar XJ220

Alessandro Nannini’s one and only Formula 1 win at the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka came in the wake of Ayrton Senna being disqualified. After clashing with Alain Prost, Senna rejoined the race in a way allegedly giving him an advantage according to the stewards of the meeting. The incident and the controversial decision gave Alain Prost his third title. Continue Reading →

Alessandro Nannini

General Motors announced a 9 month loss of $2.2 billion.

Robert MacGregor Innes Ireland died from cancer at the age of 63. Arguably the most spectacular talent of his generation, Innes Ireland won the 1961 US-Grand Prix for Lotus. A couple of weeks later Colin Chapman sacked him as the Lotus boss saw more potential in youngster Jimmy Clark. Continue Reading →

Innes Ireland

The 30th Tokyo Motor Show opened. Cars exhbited cars included the 3000 GT (Mitsubishi) with its power sunroof, the 9th generation Skyline GTR (Nissan), the Celica Convertible (Toyota), and the Ultramini (Daihatsu).

Ward Burton scored his first NASCAR Winston Cup victory in the AC Delco 400 at Rockingham, North Carolina (US). Points leader Jeff Gordon finished 20th, but still clung to a 162-point lead over Dale Earnhardt.

The opening of the British Motor Show at the NEC, Birmingham saw the launch of two critical saloons from British car manufacturers – Rover 75 and Jaguar S-Type.The then BMW boss Bernd Pischetsrieder made an impromptu speech about the future of the Rover Longbridge plant which would then lead to the sell of the brand in 2000 and its collapse in 2005. A dozen or new models from AC, Caterham, Jensen, Lea Francis, Lotus, Marcos and Westfield make their world debut at the show, whilst the Ford Focus made its UK debut.

Chinese Rover 75 advert

The White Lightning Electric Streamliner, driven by Patrick Rummerfield (USA), at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, USA, recorded the highest speed achieved by an electric vehicle 395.821 km/h (245.523 mph). Propelled by two 200 hp alternating current motors, this 1,111-kg (2,450-lb) vehicle could reach 161 km/h (100 mph) in 8 seconds and had a theoretical top speed of over 482.8 km/h (300 mph).

White Lightning Electric Streamliner

Darren Manning (UK) reached a record speed of 102.58 mph going backwards in a Caterham 7 Fireblade at Kemble Airfield, Gloucester

Volkswagen unveiled the striking new £22,000 Golf R32, the fastest production Golf ever built, to a crowd of waiting journalists at the NEC Motor Show. With a 3.2-litre engine developing a whopping 240 bhp, the Golf has an impressive top speed of 153 mph and could accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in a breathtaking 6. Continue Reading →

Volkswagen Golf R32

Ferrari announced the official name for its all-new 2+2 model – the 612 Scaglietti, which went on sale in the UK in the summer of 2004. Named after famous Ferrari coachbuilder Sergio Scaglietti, the 4.9-metre long, all-aluminium 612 blended performance and comfort in the best traditions of a true Ferrari berlinetta designed to accommodate four people in high-speed luxury and safety.

Ferrari 612 Scaglietti

IRL racer Tony Renna (26) died after crashing at close to 220 mph during a test drive at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

A new World Record for any motorcycle sold at auction was set on 22 October 2010, when a 1929 Brough Superior SS100 was sold at the Haynes International Motor Museum. The bike achieved £286,000.