On this day in…
1904
119 years ago
Barney Oldfield joined the Peerless Motor Car Company and made his first appearance in the Peerless Green Dragon race car in a series of match races at the Canadian National Exhibition track in Toronto, the first major racing event staged in Canada Read more…
1906
117 years ago
The Mechanical Branch of the Associated Licensed Automobile Manufacturers adopted their first standard specifications covering screws, nuts and bolts Read more…
1907
116 years ago
The Imperial Motor Car Company was founded in Jackson, Michigan, US by brothers Theodore A and George N Campbell, producing cars until 1916 Read more…
1909
114 years ago
Twenty two year old housewife Alice Huyler Ramsey became the first woman to drive across the US from coast to coast, in a green Maxwell 30 Read more…
1932
91 years ago
The Cologne-Bonn autobahn opened to traffic Read more…
1932
91 years ago
Richard Hollingshead Jr Read more…
1933
90 years ago
The II Grand Prix de Nice was contested over a street course along the best known roads in the famous holiday resort, up and down the Promenade des Anglaise (with a 1 Read more…
1934
89 years ago
The Klausen Hillclimb in Switzerland was won by Louis Chiron in a 4 Read more…
1935
88 years ago
Mrs Read more…
1935
88 years ago
Ab Jenkins, driving the Duesenberg Special at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, US set a Class B super-stock record by covering 153 Read more…
1949
74 years ago
Marcopolo S Read more…
1954
69 years ago
Frederic Latta Smith (84), one of the founders of the Olds Motor Works in 1899 and of General Motors Corporation in 1908, died Read more…
1959
64 years ago
The Chevrolet Corporation registered the Corvair name for its new rear-engine compact car Read more…
1961
62 years ago
The German Grand Prix was won by British driver Stirling Moss, driving a Lotus 18/21 for the privateer outfit, Rob Walker Racing Team Read more…
1961
62 years ago
Jim Paschal benefited from Richard Petty’s engine misfortune in the later stages to win the Nashville 500 at the half-mile Nashville Speedway (Tennessee, US) fairgrounds track Read more…
1965
58 years ago
The first Ford Transit rolled off a production line at Ford’s Langley facility in Berkshire, England (a former Second World War aircraft factory which had produced Hawker Hurricane fighters) Read more…
1967
56 years ago
The German Grand Prix held over 15 laps of Nürburgring was won by Brabham driver Denny Hulme after he started from second position Read more…
1968
55 years ago
Giovanni Bracco (60), winner of the 1952 Mille Miglia, died Read more…
1973
50 years ago
Singer Stevie Wonder was almost killed when he was hit by a log that smashed through the windshield of the car he was riding in Read more…
1980
43 years ago
The first ChryslerCorporation ‘K’ car, a Plymouth Reliant, was produced at the Jefferson Assembly Plant in Detroit, Michigan, US Read more…
1991
32 years ago
Peugeot SA announced its withdrawal from the United States market, due to lagging sales Read more…
1994
29 years ago
The inaugural NASCAR Allstate 400, also known as the Brickyard 400, was run over 400 miles at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Read more…
1996
27 years ago
Stunt man Eddie Kidd was involved in a serious motorcycle accident while performing at the Bulldog Bash, held at Long Marston Airfield near Stratford-upon-Avon, UK Read more…
1996
27 years ago
Spanish racing driver Emilio Zapico (52) was killed in a road accident in Huete, Spain Read more…
2002
21 years ago
Scottish racing driver Jim Crawford (54), who participated in two World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on July 19, 1975, died Read more…
2006
17 years ago
Jimmie Johnson won the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, his first victory at IMS and a record fifth in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition at the track for team owner Rick Hendrick Read more…
2006
17 years ago
Jenson Button won the Hungarian Grand Prix, the first victory of his career and the first race win for a British driver since David Coulthard won the Australian Grand Prix three years previously, and the first by an Englishman since Johnny Herbert won the 1999 European Grand Prix nearly seven years previously, in similarly changeable weather circumstances Read more…
