On This Day

Bugatti delivered its first 16-valve car, a Type 13, to a customer in Basel, Switzerland. Bugatti, a Swiss-based luxury car company, was famous for its exquisite, powerful vehicles. In the 1920s and 1930s, the Bugatti car was a symbol of wealth and status, and its cars were equipped with massive racing engines. Continue Reading →

Bugatti Type 13 (1920)

Tazio Nuvolari claimed his first auto racing victory in the 170 mile Verona Cup regularity race driving an Ansaldo Tipo 4.

Tazio Nuvolari

The Opel 4/12 bhp "Laubfrosch" (German for tree frog) was exhibited at the Geneva Auto Show. It had 4-cylinder pressure-lubricated engine, an electric starter, a 3-speed gearbox with reverse gear and could reach speeds of 45 mph. Opel launched it on to the market at a price of DM 3000.

Opel 4/12 bhp "Laubfrosch" - 1925

James Ward Packard, founder of the Ohio Automobile Company and the Packard Motor Car Company, died in Cleveland, Ohio, at the age of 64. A native of Warren, Ohio, James Packard and his brother, William, started their industrial careers manufacturing electric lamps. They entered the automobile business after James Packard purchased a Winton Motor Carriage. Continue Reading →

James Ward Packard

Clessie L Cummins set the first official world land speed record for diesel-powered cars, reaching 80.389 mph at Daytona Beach, Florida in the Cummins Diesel Special.

Cummins Diesel Special - 1930

The BMW 326 made its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show, available in 3 versions: a 4-door limousine at a price of 5500 Reichsmark (RM), a 2-door cabriolet at 6550 RM, and a 4-door cabriolet at 7200 RM. The medium-sized saloon was produced by BMW between 1936 and 1941, and again briefly, under Soviet control, after 1945. The 326 was BMW's first four-door sedan. Continue Reading →

BMW 326

Fiat caused a sensation at the 1952 Geneva Show when it launched the 8V Berlinetta coupe with its exceptionally aggressive styling. The Fiat 8V got its name because at the time of its making Ford had a copyright on the term V8.They weren't a commercial success, but did well in racing. Continue Reading →

Fiat 8V Berlinetta Coupe

The Kaiser Carolina, a stripped down version of the Kaiser Deluxe, was introduced as a mid-year model.

Kaiser Carolina - 1953

American race driver Larry Crockett died, at the age of 28, in a crash at the Langhorne speedway. He raced in just one F1 race, the 1954 Indy 500.

Mercury discontinued the Turnpike Cruiser convertible Indianapolis 500 Pace Car replica after producing 1,265 units.

The Lola T90 Indycar made its debut in the USAC Championship race at Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Porsche officially submitted the 917 to the FIA for homologation.

The Penske L&M Porsche 917/10 Can-Am racer was unveiled to the press and sponsors at Road Atlanta in Brazelton, Georgia, US.

James Hunt driving a McLaren-Cosworth M23 won the Race of Champions at Brands Hatch.

James Hunt

The last Pontiac Fiero was produced. The Fiero was designed by George Milidrag and Hulki Aldikacti as a sports car. The Fiero was the first two-seater Pontiac since the 1926 to 1938 coupes, and also the first and only mass-produced mid-engine sports car by a U. Continue Reading →

Pontiac Fiero (1984-88)

Whilst on tour, a semi trailer rammed into a tour bus containing singer Gloria Estefan, husband Emilio, their son and three other passengers at Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, US severely injuring Gloria. Following extensive surgery, she returned to an international tour ten months after the crash.

Gloria Estefans tour bus - 1990

Morgan Shepherd took the lead with 12 laps remaining to win the Motorcraft Quality Parts 500 at Atlanta, Georgia (US) an event postponed six days due to a blizzard. It was Shepherd's fourth career NASCAR Winston Cup win, three of which have come at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Michael Andretti won the Australian CART Indy Car race driving a Reynard. This was Andretti's first race after leaving Formula 1 and the first Indy Car race for Reynard.

The Ford Scorpio (Granada in Germany) was launched in Europe; it replaced the Consul and previous Granada. Codenamed DE-1 during its development (since it was intended to straddle the European D and E segments), the Scorpio was heavily based on the Sierra, sitting on a stretched version of its floorpan, and using a similar styling philosophy set by both the Sierra and the third generation Escort. Under the bonnet were well-proven engines, starting with the venerable Pinto engine unit in 1. Continue Reading →

An international jury of journalists, artists and designers awarded the new Opel Astra Coupé with a prize for "The Most Beautiful Car in The World" in a ceremony during the international exhibition "Design in Motion 2000" at the Triennale in Milan, Italy.

Opel Astra Coupé (2000)

Giulio Alfieri (77), the Italian automobile engineer, affiliated with Maserati in Modena, Italy since 1953, where he was central to the development of racing and production cars in the 1950s and 1960s, died.

The second round of the 2005 Formula 1 championship took place in Malaysia. Fernando Alonso started from pole and went on to win the race from Toyota's Jarno Trulli by a massive 24.3 seconds. Continue Reading →

Alonso wins 2005 Malaysian Grand Prix

Transport Secretary Alistair Darling announced the first ever UK motorway car share lane – on the M606/M62 at junction 26.

The Highway Agency began a £289 million scheme to widen the M1 motorway in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, between Luton and the M25. The fourth lane was ear-marked for car sharing.

Bill Lester became the first African American to start a race at NASCAR's top level since Willy T. Ribbs in 1986. Lester qualified for the Golden Corral 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and finishes 38th.

The X Prize Foundation and sponsor Progressive Casualty Insurance Co. offered $10 million to the teams that could "design, build and race super-efficient vehicles that will achieve 100 mpg (2.35 liter/100 kilometer) efficiency, produce less than 200 grams/mile well-to-wheel CO2 equivalent emissions, and could be manufactured for the mass market.”