On this day in…
1903
119 years ago
Sir David Barbour Read more…
1904
118 years ago
The Chicago Motor Show opened at the Coliseum Read more…
1911
111 years ago
Rolls Royce appalled by mascots on owners cars, commissioned the ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’ statuette Read more…
1911
111 years ago
Rolls-Royce’s “Spirit of Ecstasy” mascot was registered as a trademark Read more…
1951
71 years ago
The second series Kaiser Dragon was introduced Read more…
1952
70 years ago
NASCAR distributed over $40,000 in points money at the annual Victory Dinner at the Princess Issena Hotel in Daytona Beach Read more…
1954
68 years ago
The stylish gull-wing door Mercedes 300SL coupe was shown to the public Read more…
1955
67 years ago
Herb Thomas won a hard fought 100-mile NASCAR Grand National race on the 1/2 mile dirt Palm Beach Speedway Read more…
1958
64 years ago
The Sunbeam Rapier Series II was announced, available in hardtop and convertible forms Read more…
1960
62 years ago
Bruce McLaren drove a Cooper-Climax to victory in the Argentine Grand Prix at Buenos Aires Read more…
1962
60 years ago
Jerry Richert won the Florida State Fair IMCA Sprint Car race in Tampa, Florida (US) Read more…
1964
58 years ago
Britain and France agreed to build a Channel tunnel Read more…
1966
56 years ago
The first Daytona 24 Hour event was won by Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby driving a Ford Mk Read more…
1971
51 years ago
Iggy Katona won the ARCA 300-mile Stock Car race at the Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida (US) Read more…
1972
50 years ago
Reliability concerns for the 3 liter cars led to the Daytona 24 Hours being replaced by a 6 hour event Read more…
1972
50 years ago
Graham McRae drove his McRae GM1-Chevrolet to victory the Tasman Cup race on the 2 Read more…
1974
48 years ago
The speed limit in the Netherlands was reduced to 100 km/hr due to oil crisis Read more…
1975
47 years ago
Jensen, the luxury car maker, made 700 workers redundant – cutting its workforce by two thirds Read more…
1977
45 years ago
The Porsche Carrera RSR of John Graves/Hurley Haywood/Dave Helmick won the Daytona 24 Hours Sports Car race at Daytona International Speedway Read more…
1981
41 years ago
The political battle between the sport’s governing body FISA and the Formula One Constructors’ Association (FOCA) came to a head when FOCA held a non-championship race in Kyalami and threatened to create a breakaway series Read more…
1985
37 years ago
Walter L Read more…
1986
36 years ago
Willard “Bill” Cantrell (71), the “Silver Fox” because of his gray hair and the sly tricks he used to win races, died Read more…
1986
36 years ago
The Conservative government in the UK dropped plans to sell Austin Rover to Ford after considerable post-Westland back bench pressure Read more…
1988
34 years ago
Frankie Kerr won the American Midget Racing feature race at the Volusia County Speedway, Barberville, Florida, US Read more…
1990
32 years ago
Rock star Billy Idol suffered serious injuries when he failed to pull up at a stop sign and crashed his Harley-Davidson motorbike into a car in Hollywood Read more…
1993
29 years ago
The 1993 Chicago Motor Show opened to the public Read more…
1995
27 years ago
The Ferrari 412 T2 was introduced by Chairman Luca di Montezemolo Read more…
1998
24 years ago
Falco Read more…
1999
23 years ago
Mike Dunn set a NHRA Top Fuel 1/4 mile ET record of 4 Read more…
2000
22 years ago
In the Rolex 24 at Daytona, a surprise win for the ORECA, French-based Dodge Viper team who started 21st Read more…
2000
22 years ago
Edo Ronchi Read more…
2000
22 years ago
Midget and sportscar racer Phil Walters, AKA Ted Tappett, died at age 84 in Florida, US Read more…
2001
21 years ago
Niki Lauda was appointed CEO of Ford’s premier performance division Read more…
2003
19 years ago
Felipe Massa was named as a Ferrari’s test driver after being replaced at Sauber by Heinz-Harald Frentzen Read more…
2003
19 years ago
MG Rover entered the commercial vehicle sector Read more…
2004
18 years ago
On the cover of the official 2004 Chicago Auto Show program were the door-prize Lexus SC 430 convertible and the Acura TL four-door sedan during the First Look for Charity evening event Read more…
2007
15 years ago
Henry George (Harry) Webster, CBE was a British automotive engineer who inspired the creation of iconic Triumph cars throughout the 1950s and 1960s died aged 89 Read more…
2008
14 years ago
Tony Rolt, the last surviving driver from the very first F1 race in 1950, died in Warwickshire (England) aged 89 Read more…
2009
13 years ago
The Honda Insight, billed as “the world’s first affordable hybrid,” went on sale in Japan Read more…
2018
4 years ago
In the Philippines bulldozers and backhoes pounded more than two dozen seized luxury cars, including Porsches, Mercedes, Jaguars and Corvettes, in a dramatic demolition showcasing the no-nonsense leader’s crackdown on crime and corruption Read more…
