On this day in…
1900
123 years ago
The first circuit motor race, the Course du Catalogue, run over two laps of a 45 mile triangular course at Melun in France, was won by Léonce Girardot in a Panhard.motor Read more…
1918
105 years ago
The Edward G Budd Manufacturing Company of Philadelphia, US produced its 200,000th all-steel body for the Dodge Brothers touring car Read more…
1919
104 years ago
Ralph DePalma, driving Packard ‘905’, powered by a 12 cylinder 905 cubic inch aero-engine, at Daytona Beach, recorded a one-way flying mile at 149 Read more…
1930
93 years ago
Edsel B Ford purchased a MG M-type, possibly the first US sale for this marque, which he used frequently for three years before adding it to the Henry Ford museum collection Read more…
1934
89 years ago
“Stubby” Stubblefield won a 250 mile Stock Car race held on a 1 Read more…
1940
83 years ago
The Buick Town Master, a custom-bodied Brunn town car, was introduced Read more…
1947
76 years ago
A period of one year was granted for holders of wartime provisional driving licences to convert to a full licence, without having to take a test. Read more…
1955
68 years ago
The UK government concluded following an investigation carried out by the Ministry of Transport the previous 4 months that the Channel Tunnel would unlikely have great value for travelers, either on grounds of comfort or cheapness Read more…
1956
67 years ago
The DeSoto Adventurer, a high-powered 2-door hardtop similar to the Chrysler 300, was introduced as a mid-year model Read more…
1961
62 years ago
The 1961 Chicago Auto Show opened at Chicago’s new McCormick Place Read more…
1962
61 years ago
After 3 years of being the best driver never to win the Daytona 500, Fireball Roberts came to the 1962 edition race of the 500 on a hot roll, he won the American Challenge for winners of 1961 NASCAR events, the pole position for the 500, and the Twin-100 mile qualifier Read more…
1965
58 years ago
The racing division of Alfa Romeo, Autodelta’s first creation, the GTA (the A stood for ‘alleggerita’ (lightened)) was presented at the Amsterdam Motor Show Read more…
1965
58 years ago
The Mercury Cougar design was approved for production Read more…
1968
55 years ago
Billy Vukovich , driving the Doug Caruthers #8, won the 100-lap USAC Midget race at the San Jose Speedway, San Jose, California, US Read more…
1973
50 years ago
Richard Petty, the “King of Stock Car Racing,” won the Daytona 500 before a crowd of over 103,000 spectators, marking the first time a stock car race had drawn over 100,000 spectators Read more…
1979
44 years ago
For the first time in Daytona 500 history, CBS televised the race live flag-to-flag on US national television Read more…
1987
36 years ago
Doug Hoffman won the DIRT South Modified Stock Car feature race at the Big H Speedway, Houston, texas, US Read more…
1988
35 years ago
The Ford Motor Company announced a 1987 net income of $4 Read more…
1990
33 years ago
After years of trying to win it, Dale Earnhardt appeared to be heading for certain victory in the 1990 Daytona 500 until a series of events in the closing laps Read more…
1990
33 years ago
Dale Earnhardt cut a tire on the final lap, allowing for Derrike Cope to post his first NASCAR Winston Cup win in the Daytona 500 Read more…
1996
27 years ago
Dale Jarrett won the Daytona 500 in his # 88 Quality Care/ Ford Credit Ford, Dale Earnhardt finished 2nd in his # 3 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet Read more…
1998
25 years ago
As the move to make F1 safer rumbled on and against a backdrop of a trial in Italy following the death of Ayrton Senna four years earlier, the FIA announced it was to fit black boxes to all cars with effect from the start of the season three weeks later Read more…
2000
23 years ago
Ford Motor Co Read more…
2001
22 years ago
Seven-time Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt (49), died in a last-lap crash at the Daytona 500 Read more…
2004
19 years ago
A couple from Somerset couple picked up their Ford Streetka roadster, signed by pop star Kylie Minogue, from Brunel Ford in Bristol, after winning the prize during the BBC’s Children in Need charity telethon Read more…
2006
17 years ago
Richard Bright (68), the character actor who played mob enforcer Al Neri in all three Godfather movies, died after being hit by a bus Read more…
2007
16 years ago
Kevin Harvick edged past Mark Martin to win the 2007 Daytona 500 Read more…
2007
16 years ago
Residents of Monte Carlo would have been forgiven for thinking Ferrari had turned up for the Monaco Grand Prix three months early when a Formula One car took to the famous streets in February Read more…
2008
15 years ago
A number plate auction organised by Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) fetched more than Dh25.5 million ($6.94m) Read more…
2008
15 years ago
Lewis Hamilton won a prestigious Laureus Award for his breakthrough season with McLaren in 2007 Read more…
2009
14 years ago
General Motors announced that by 2011 it would need to axe 47,000 jobs around the world in addition to receiving $31 billion in US government aid in order to avoid a complete collapse Read more…
2016
7 years ago
One of the ten DB10 models produced by Aston Martin for the James Bond film Spectre was sold for £2,434,500 at a charity auction Read more…
2018
5 years ago
Twenty years after Dale Earnhardt Sr Read more…
2019
4 years ago
British media reported that Honda would close a car factory in Swindon in 2022 with the potential loss of 3,500 jobs, in another blow to a British economy made jittery by Brexit Read more…
2019
4 years ago
British media reported that Honda would close its car factory in Swindon in 2022 with the potential loss of 3,500 jobs, in another blow to a British economy made jittery by Brexit Read more…
