On This Day

Henry G Morris & Pedro G Salom applied for a patent on their electric vehicle.

The first motor vehicle appeared on the streets of Japan, an imported German built Hildebrand & Wolfmuller motorcycle. H&W was the first mass produced motorcycle, and the first machine which was given the name of motorad (motorcycle). The H&W had been imported to Tokyo by a Japanese pioneer Shinsuke Jumonji.

Thomas A. Edison was granted a patent for an" Electrical Automobile" (US Patent No. 750,102) designed with a driving motor that could be used for the purpose of charging the batteries. Continue Reading →

Edison Electric Car 1913

The H S Houpt Manufacturing Company of New York City registered is “H” within three concentric circles logo as a trademark. Their car was conceived as the Houpt, but first appeared as the Houpt-Rockwell to recognise partners Harry S Houpt and Albert F Rockwell.

The London General Omnibus Co. (LGOC) and London Underground Electric Railways Co. agreed to merge. Continue Reading →

Inauguration of the General Motors subsidiary in Argentina.

The Aerolite Piston Company, Ltd. was liquidated by E. G. Continue Reading →

General Motors began mass production of diesel engines.

New Jersey's 118-mile-long turnpike was completed. The Turnpike's southern terminus begins at Interstate 295 (I-295) near the border of Pennsville and Carneys Point Townships in Salem County, one mile east of the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Its northern terminus is located at the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, Bergen County. Continue Reading →

New Jersey Turnpike

The 1952 Chevrolets were introduced to the US public.

1952 Chevrolet brochure

General Motors announced a $1 billion plan to expand its automobile operation. GM, like other major auto makers, had deep pockets due to the postwar boom in car sales, though sales were slackening in 1953.

The Cadillac Eldorado Brougham ‘dream car’ was first revealed in New York, to an exclusive audience of 5,100 people at 4 pm. The general public only got to see the car the next day in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria, as the centrepiece of the General Motors Motorama. This car was the direct predecessor of the ultra-expensive, limited-production version built in 1957 and 1958. Continue Reading →

Cadillac Eldorado Brougham - 1955

The New York City Motorama opened. Featured cars included Buick Centurion, General Motors Firebird II, the Oldsmobile Golden Rocket, Pontiac Club de Mer, Cadillac Eldorado Brougham and Eldorado Brougham town car. Fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000 will recognize the 1956 show as the Motorama featured in the short film Design for Dreaming. Continue Reading →

Oldsmobile Golden Rocket - at 1956 Motorama

The crowd's expectation for the 1958 Gran Premio de la Republica Argentina was to see local hero Juan Manuel Fangio demolish the gringo opposition, as the man from Balcarce had done so often in the past. However, victory went to one of his former teams-mates in a car that the incredulous Argentine public attending the race would only describe as 'the thing'. The season-opener in Buenos Aires saw a rather tiny grid of just ten cars lining up for the 1958 Argentine GP. Continue Reading →

Gran Premio de Argentina 1958

CAMRA, the Canadian American Modified Racing Association, was formed at a meeting held in Spokane, Washington, USA. The association's goal was to standardize modified rules among the racing clubs in the Pacific Northwest. Bill Crow was named CAMRA's first president.

Joe Weatherly (41), champion AAA motorcycle and NASCAR stock car racer, died from head injuries sustained in a crash during the NASCAR Motor Trend 500 at Riverside, California, US. His head went outside the car and struck a retaining wall, killing him instantly. Weatherly was not wearing a shoulder harness, and did not have a window net installed on his vehicle, because he was afraid of being trapped in a burning car. Continue Reading →

Joe Weatherly

Ray Harroum (89), winner of the first Indianapolis 500, died in Anderson, Illinois, US. Nicknamed the "Little Professor" for his pioneering work of creating the Marmon Wasp, which was a revolutionary design being the first open-wheel single-seater racecar, he is known to have started at least 60 AAA-sanctioned races, during the years 1905–1911. At the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911, his used what would now be called a rear-view mirror, rather than the riding mechanic specified in the rules, created controversy, but was ultimately allowed. Continue Reading →

The Ford GT70, a limited production sports car designed by Ercole Spada, made by Ford of Britain in 1970 and intended for rallying, debuted at the Brussels Salon Motor Show. It was powered by a Capri based V6 engine with a 5-speed ZF transmission, and was mid-engined like the Lancia Stratos. Only six GT70s were ever built. Continue Reading →

Ford GT70

The inaugural World Rally Championship season began with the 42ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo. At this time, the Monte-Carlo rally was structured as a concentration rally, with teams beginning competition in some nine different cities, with the first objective of the rally being to reach Monte Carlo, followed by two legs of competitive special stages around Monaco and southeastern France. Traditionally run on tarmac roads commonly covered in snow and ice, especially at higher altitudes, bad weather did force cancellation of two special stages. Continue Reading →

Jean-Claude Andruet on his way to victory on the 1973 Monte Carlo Rally, Alpine-Renault A110 1800

Bobby Allison dominated the Western 500 NASCAR Grand National race at Riverside International Raceway. Allison led all but 18 of the 191 laps in Roger Penske's AMC Matador to take the win 22.6 seconds ahead of David Pearson in the Wood Brothers Mercury. Continue Reading →

Gary Bettenhausen, driving the Howard Linne # 93, won the 100-lap USAC Midget race at the Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana, US.

Actor Kevin Coughlin (30), who appeared in episodes of Bonanza, Dragnet, The Virginian, Gunsmoke, The FBI, Combat, The Patty Duke Show and Lassie was killed in a hit-and-run accident.

Kevin Coughlin

The last ‘traditional’ Volkswagen Beetle rolled off the production line in Germany, when mainstream production shifted to Brazil and Mexico: markets where low-operating costs could be met.

Volkswagen Beetle

Darrell Waltrip, driving the DiGard Gatorade Chevrolet, won the Winston Western 500 NASCAR stock car race, six days after it began. It had been rain delayed on lap 26.

Johnny Parsons, driving the Helmling Racing # 4, won the 100-lap USAC Midget race at the Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana, US.

Footballer Mick Quinn was sentenced to 21 days in prison, but was freed after serving 14 days after breaching his drink driving ban twice.

Round 1 of the World Rally Championship, 58th Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo (20 stages, 556 km) began. It was won by Didier Auriol and Bernrad Occelli driving a Lancia Delta Integrale 16V.

Tourism chiefs in Liverpool, Merseyside were banned from putting up motorway signs saying ‘Liverpool, the Birthplace of the Beatles’, because the Highways Agency thought the signs would distract motorists.

PGA golfer Notah Begay III (27) was involved in an aggravated drunk-driving offense in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He registered 0.21 on a breath-analyzer test where 0.08 is legally drunk in New Mexico and 0.16 or higher is aggravated. It was his second drunk driving offense in five years.

Portuguese drivers Carlos Sousa and Joao Manuel Luz were critically injured in a four-car crash during the Dakar Rally in Libya. Six other drivers were also injured when their cars jumped a dune at high speed and crashed on the other side.

Canadian TV host Jonathon Torrens, star of CBC's Jonovision, and three passengers were injured in a six-car pileup on Highway 101 outside Halifax, Nova Scotia. Besides being host of the teen talk show, Torrens also appeared on CBC's drama Pit Pony.

Todd Anthony Bridges, an American actor, best known for his childhood role as Willis Jackson on the NBC/ABC sitcom Diff'rent Strokes was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon after being arrested for ramming his car into a friend’s car in a fight over a video game in Los Angeles, California.

Benneta Buell-Wilson (42) was left a paraplegic after her Ford Explorer rolled over in San Diego County after she swerved to avoid an obstacle on the road. An initial ruling awarded her $122 million in compensation and $246 million in punitive damages. The trial judge reduced the total to $150 million. Continue Reading →

Soccer player Milton Javier Flores (28), goalkeeper for the Honduran national soccer team, was killed by automatic weapons fire as he sat in his parked car in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. After the shooting, he tried to drive himself to a hospital but drove into a tree where he died. His car was riddled with 15 bullets.

Actor and rapper Lamont Bentley (32) was killed in a single-car accident while driving on Highway 118 near Simi Valley, California. When his vehicle went over an embankment, his body was thrown into the path of five cars which struck his body. Bentley is best known for his role as Hakeem Campbell in the Moesha TV series.

Ever the slick operator, Bernie Ecclestone headed off growing rumours of an F1 breakaway by agreeing a deal with Ferrari which tied them to the sport until 2012, worth an estimated US$150 million. "This is not just about money," said a Ferrari spokesman not altogether convincingly. "This is about securing Ferrari's future in Formula One without the team being a drain on the resources of the road car company. Continue Reading →

Jaguar XJ won the first award of 2006 topping the Luxury Car category at the Fleet Excellence Awards, voted for by readers of Fleet Week and Fleet Management magazines. "The Jaguar XJ oozes feel-good factor, and the new 2.7 V6 especially makes good business sense," said Guy Bird, editor of Fleet Management magazine, commenting on the award.

Jaguar XJ - 2005

2 killed and 12 injured after a snowy highway caused 71 people in 35 cars and 5 tractor trailers to crash on Interstate 70 in Myersville, Maryland.

Rick Champagne, an Arizona man with a special fondness for caped crusader Batman and his sidekick Robin, bought the original Batmobile driven in the iconic television series with a bid of $4.2 million at an auction.