On this day in…
1900
123 years ago
A Fiat made its first competition appearance in the Turin-Pinerolo-Cuneo-Turin race Read more…
1900
123 years ago
The Thousand Mile Trial began, the most ambitious motoring event ever staged in Great Britain during the reign of Queen Victoria Read more…
1903
120 years ago
The Pennsylvania (US) General Assembly required all motor vehicles not registered with a city or municipality to register with a county official Read more…
1911
112 years ago
In a 200 hp Benz, Bob Burman, with a flying start, established a world record average speed of 141.72 mph (228.1 km/h) over a mile distance at Daytona Beach, Florida Read more…
1928
95 years ago
Dow Jones Services announced the pending introduction of a new car by the Chrysler Corporation, the DeSoto Read more…
1929
94 years ago
Almost exactly two years since the first Volvo car was produced, the company launched its second model, the 55 hp Volvo PV651 – PV stood for Private Vehicle while the number 651 indicated 6 cylinder, 5-seater, and was the first of the series Read more…
1933
90 years ago
Chet Gardner won the 150 mile AAA Pacific Coast Championship race on the 1 mile dirt Oakland Speedway, California, US Read more…
1933
90 years ago
The first Grand Prix where grid positions were decided by practice time rather than the established method of balloting was held at the Circuit de Monaco Read more…
1934
89 years ago
Lou Meyer won a 151 mile Stock Car race held on a 1 Read more…
1938
85 years ago
The Cork International Road Race held at Corrigrohane, the only important race to be run in Eire, was won by René Dreyfus in a Delahaye 145 at 92 Read more…
1946
77 years ago
The Vespa scooter was granted a patent for a “motorcycle of a rational complexity of organs and elements combined with a frame with mudguards and a casing covering the whole mechanical part”, that started the line of iconic Vespa scooters into production, starting with the Vespa 98 Read more…
1947
76 years ago
The 1,000,000th Packard was produced Read more…
1949
74 years ago
Johnnie Parsons won the 100 mile AAA Championship race on the 1 & 1/16 mile dirt Arlington Downs horse track Read more…
1952
71 years ago
The Abarth 1500 Biposto (Bertone) coupe, an experimental coupe designed by Franco Scaglione, who worked for Bertone at the time, was unveiled at the Turin Auto Show Read more…
1953
70 years ago
The last Allstate automobile was produced Read more…
1960
63 years ago
Leyland Motors’ £18 million offer for Standard Triumph was accepted by the majority of the car company’s shareholder Read more…
1960
63 years ago
Ned Jarrett outran a pair of Pettys to win the Greenville 200 at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina, US Read more…
1962
61 years ago
Rex White drove the Louis Clements Chevy to his 4th win of the season in the rain shortened NASCAR GN race at Bowman-Gray Stadium, North Carolina, US Read more…
1962
61 years ago
The 22nd Pau Grand Prix, a non-Championship race run to Formula One rules, over 100 laps of a street circuit in Pau, was won by Maurice Trintignant in a Lotus 18/21 Read more…
1962
61 years ago
Bruce McLaren driving a Cooper-Climax T55 won the Lavant Cup at Goodwood Read more…
1962
61 years ago
During the 10th Glover Trophy, won by Graham Hill, held at the Goodwood race track, Stirling Moss suffered serious injury at the wheel of his Lotus Climax, cutting short his racing career Read more…
1965
58 years ago
The Peugeot 204, known in development as Project B12, was launched in Paris, France Read more…
1966
57 years ago
John Cannon drove actor Dan Blocker’s Vinegaroon Special Genie-Olds to victory in the United States Road Racing Championship Sports Car race at Stardust International Raceway, Las Vegas, US Read more…
1967
56 years ago
Mark Donohue drove Roger Penske’s Lola-Chevy to an easy victory in the 180 mile United States Road Racing Championship Sports Car race on the 3 mile Stardust International Raceway, Nevada Read more…
1967
56 years ago
Richard Petty benefited from Cale Yarborough’s misfortune to win the NASCAR GN ‘Virginia 500’ at Martinsville Speedway, Virginia, US Read more…
1967
56 years ago
Mario Andretti drove his Ford powered Brawner-Hawk to victory in the 150 mile USAC Championship race on the 1 mile paved Trenton Speedway, New Jersey, US Read more…
1972
51 years ago
Gary Bettenhausen drove his Penske to victory in the 200 mile USAC Championship race on the 1 Read more…
1972
51 years ago
Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari finish 1-2 on Ducatis at Monza, Italy, to win the first F750 motorcycle race in Europe Read more…
1975
48 years ago
The third Cannonball Baker or Cannonball Run, an unofficial, if not outlawed automobile race from New York City to Los Angeles started Read more…
1978
45 years ago
Open-wheel racing suffered a tragedy from which it never fully recovered when a chartered plane carrying eight United States Auto Club officials slammed into a ploughed field near the small community of Arlington, Indiana, US Read more…
1978
45 years ago
Gordon Johncock won the USAC Trenton 200 in a Wildcat-DGS Read more…
1981
42 years ago
The FIA ruled that the Lotus 88 “twin chassis” F1 car was illegal, though the rules did not exclude it Read more…
1985
38 years ago
The Standard Oil Company of Indiana (US) was reorganised as the Amoco Corporation Read more…
1986
37 years ago
Alec Ullman (82), organiser of the first Sebring (Florida) races in 19560 and the first United States Grand Prix in 1959, died in Southampton, New York, US Read more…
1987
36 years ago
Although the terms of the deal were not disclosed, the media reported that Chrysler had paid $25 million for Lamborghini, which at the time was experiencing financial difficulties Read more…
1989
34 years ago
At the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, Ayrton Senna in his McLaren won from his pole position in a time of 1:26:51 Read more…
1989
34 years ago
Darrell Waltrip led 158 laps, including the final 52, to win the Pannill Sweatshirts 500 at Martinsville Speedway Read more…
1992
31 years ago
Ronnie Bucknum (56), an American racecar driver, and the first person to drive a Honda-engined car in Formula One died Read more…
1992
31 years ago
The Smithsonian Institution acquired a Miller 91 Packard Cable Special 1500-cc race car with the intention of displaying it Read more…
1995
28 years ago
Ray Bellm and Maurizio Sandro Salo lead a McLaren F1 sweep of the top five positions in the BPR Global GT Endurance Series sports car race on the Nurburgring in Germany Read more…
1995
28 years ago
Rusty Wallace won his third straight race at Martinsville Speedway in the Hanes 500 Read more…
1997
26 years ago
Ford sold 18 Read more…
1998
25 years ago
A Generation III Subaru Legacy set a new world speed record for mass-produced turbocharged station wagons (1600 cc-2000 cc class), clocking 270 Read more…
2000
23 years ago
The 55th British Grand Prix was held at the Silverstone Read more…
2002
21 years ago
A steamroller fell off a truck, crushing a bus 70 miles north of Ufa, Russia, killing 14 people Read more…
2005
18 years ago
Defending champion Kurt Busch won the Subway Fresh 500, the first night race at Phoenix International Raceway, Arizona, US Read more…
2005
18 years ago
Kurt Busch scored his first win of the season with a dominating performance in the Subway Fresh 500 at Phoenix Raceway Read more…
2006
17 years ago
A dozen Peugeot 203 vehicles (together with other Peugeot models – 204, 403, 404) set off in the “Peugeot 2006 Round Australia Rerun” Read more…
2006
17 years ago
Michael Schumacher won the San Marino Grand Prix driving a Ferrari 248 F1 Read more…
2011
12 years ago
Carl Edwards charged to the lead early and never looked back on his way to winning the NASCAR Xfinity (Nationwide) Series Nashville 300 at Nashville Superspeedway Read more…
2013
10 years ago
Franco Guzzi, who at various times had been Enzo Ferrari’s secretary, ghost writer, press officer, and motor sport director, died in Modena, Italy, at the age of 80 Read more…
2016
7 years ago
Dale Earnhardt Jr Read more…
