On this day in…
1904
119 years ago
Earle C Anthony opened the Western Motor Car Company in Los Angeles, California, US as a dealer for the National, Northern and Thomas marques – the following year he acquired the distributorship for Packard, with whom he would pay a major role for over 50 years Read more…
1907
116 years ago
The first cabs with taxi meters begin operating in London Read more…
1917
106 years ago
“Motor Age” magazine quoted American speed king Barney Oldfield as saying “If deflecting planes will drive an airplane up and down, why won’t a deflecting plane on a car going more than 100mph help drive it down to the ground and add weight for traction…?” Read more…
1923
100 years ago
The 1,000,000th Chevrolet car rolled off the production line Read more…
1926
97 years ago
Pete DePaolo won the inaugural AAA sanctioned race with a $30,000 purse was run on the 1 Read more…
1944
79 years ago
The first Saxon automobile was sold and shipped to its new owner Read more…
1959
64 years ago
Daytona International Speedway, the “World Center of Racing,” hosted the first Daytona 500 Read more…
1963
60 years ago
Junior Johnson and Johnny Rutherford won the 100 mile NASCAR GN qualifying races at Daytona International Speedway Read more…
1969
54 years ago
Racer Don MacTavish (36) died when his Mercury Comet crashed during a race at Daytona Beach, Florida Read more…
1970
53 years ago
Pete Hamilton driving a Plymouth Superbird won the 1970 NASCAR Grand National Series Daytona 500 in front of 103,800 spectators at the Daytona International Speedway Read more…
1973
50 years ago
Ford of America received the maximum fine of $7,000,000 from the US Department of Justice because its staff allegedly falsified the results of emission tests on the entire range of 1973 Ford models. Read more…
1975
48 years ago
Debuts at Chicago Auto Show included the AMC Pacer, the Triumph TR7, and the Mercedes-Benz 450 SE Read more…
1993
30 years ago
His Majesty King Juan Carlos I officially opened SEAT’s Martorell plant Read more…
1994
29 years ago
Co-driver Christine Francis was killed in an accident on the Kall Kwik Rally in North Yorkshire, United Kingdom, when the Subaru Impreza driven by Christine’s brother Jeff McNeil crashed on the third stage of the rally. Read more…
1998
25 years ago
Chuck Etchells defeated Ron Capps in the Funnycar finals at the Atsco Nationals at Firebird Raceway in Chandler, Arizona, USA; the first all-Camaro Funnycar finals in NHRA history Read more…
1998
25 years ago
Chuck Etchells defeated Ron Capps in the Funnycar finals of the Atsco Nationals at Firebird Raceway in Arizona, US – the first all-Camaro Funnycar finals in NHRA history Read more…
2001
22 years ago
Jaguar boss Bobby Rahal told his driver Eddie Irvine to curb his criticism of the team ahead of the new season Read more…
2001
22 years ago
Ferrari signed a new contract with cigarette company Philip Morris to carry Marlboro sponsorship until 2006 Read more…
2002
21 years ago
Two middle-aged women spent the first of eight nights sleeping in a car outside Bournemouth International Centre to make sure they were first in the queue for when tickets to Cliff Richard’s forthcoming concert went on sale. Read more…
2003
20 years ago
One of Koenigsegg’s production facilities in Sweden caught fire and burned to the ground Read more…
2003
20 years ago
The New Beetle Cabriolet was launched in Germany Read more…
2004
19 years ago
Matt Kenseth beat rookie Kasey Kahne to win the Subway 400 at Rockingham Read more…
2004
19 years ago
A bus near Fortaleza in Brazil tumbled off a dam into a reservoir, killing over 40 people Read more…
2007
16 years ago
A website was launched to help motorists tackle the increasing scourge of Britain’s potholed roads Read more…
2008
15 years ago
Mr Saeed Abdul Ghaffar Khouri, paid over £7 million at an Abu Dhabi auction for the number plate “1”, doubling the previous world record price Read more…
2015
8 years ago
Jeff Gordon won the pole at the Daytona 500 for the final time Read more…
