On this day in…
1901
125 years ago
A 100-foot drilling derrick named at Spindletop near the town of Beaumont, Texas produced a roaring gusher of black crude oil – the first major oil discovery in the United States Read more…
1901
125 years ago
The Automobile Club of America installed signs on major highways Read more…
1905
121 years ago
Louis Delage established Automobiles Delage in Courbevoie, France, who borrowed Fr 35,000, giving up a salary of Fr 600 a month to do so Read more…
1911
115 years ago
The British organisations, the Automobile Association and Motor Union, officially amalgamated Read more…
1913
113 years ago
Ten White automobiles and trucks arrived in Libau, Russia (now Liepaja, Latvia), the first of about 4,000 to be purchased by the Czech government Read more…
1914
112 years ago
Lincoln Beachey in his Curtis biplane and racing driver Barney Oldfield in a Simplex car staged their first “Championship of the Universe” match in Everyville, California, US Read more…
1918
108 years ago
Charles F Kettering was elected President of the Society of Automotive Engineers Read more…
1922
104 years ago
Citroën unveiled its new compact brand vehicle, the 5HP, at the Paris Motor Show Read more…
1924
102 years ago
Citroën presented the B10, the first car with an all-steel body, replacing the combined wood and metal bodywork Read more…
1929
97 years ago
André Citroën opened the doors of the Quai de Javel factory to the public during the Paris Motor Show Read more…
1930
96 years ago
Henry A Nadig, who many historians consider to have produced the first gasoline-powered car in the US, died in Allentown, Pennsylvania, US Read more…
1934
92 years ago
The Nash reintroduced the LaFayette name, for a line of smaller, less expensive autos Read more…
1942
84 years ago
The Ford Motor Company signed an agreement to make Jeeps (GPWs) to meet the huge wartime demand by the US military Read more…
1958
68 years ago
The TVR Coupe made its first public appearance at H & J Quick Ltd showroom in Manchester, England: “The designers are Mr Read more…
1958
68 years ago
The Ford Motor Company announced plans to enter the heavy and extra-heavy truck field Read more…
1959
67 years ago
New Zealand Grand Prix at Ardmore was won by Stirling Moss from Jack Brabham and Bruce McLaren all driving 2-litre Cooper-Climaxes Read more…
1967
59 years ago
The Pontiac Saint Moritz convertible show was unveiled at the Toledo Auto Show, Canada Read more…
1970
56 years ago
The 1970 New Zealand Grand Prix was a race held at the Pukekohe Park Raceway Read more…
1971
55 years ago
Herman Wise won the 50 lap Georgia-Florida Championship Supermodified race at the Golden Isles Speedway, Brunswick, Georgia, US Read more…
1971
55 years ago
Italian driver Ignazio Giunti died competing in the Buenos Aires 1000km race Read more…
1979
47 years ago
The last convertible Volkswagen Beetle was produced Read more…
1985
41 years ago
British entrepreneur Sir Clive Sinclair unveiled the Sinclair C5, his answer to Britain’s traffic problem Read more…
1996
30 years ago
As of this date, Albert Klein of Pasadena, California, held the world’s record for automobile mileage: his 1963 VW Beetle had accumulated 1,592,503 miles, and was still running Read more…
1997
29 years ago
Marlboro Team Penske’s driver Paul Tracy became the first driver to test on the new Auto Club Speedway, a two-mile (3 km), low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California – which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1997 Read more…
2000
26 years ago
The Ford Focus was named the 2000 North American Car of the Year at North American International Auto Show in Detroit -the first Car of the Year winner in both Europe and North America Read more…
2003
23 years ago
It was reported that a woman clocked up £28,000 worth of parking fines in three years in Glasgow’s city centre Read more…
2004
22 years ago
Just five weeks after opening, a short section of the M6 Toll road near Sutton Coldfield was reduced to one lane to allow for repairs to an uneven surface Read more…
2004
22 years ago
American Hot Rod, a reality television series, premiered on The Learning Channel Read more…
2004
22 years ago
Joey Payne won the Three Quarter Midget feature at the indoor Atlantic City Convention Hall Read more…
2005
21 years ago
Spanish motorcyclist José Manuel Pérez died in a Spanish hospital after crashing the week before on the 7th stage of the Dakar Rally Read more…
2007
19 years ago
A truck slammed into a bus on the highway between Arak and Malayer in Iran, killing 14 and seriously injuring 16 Read more…
2008
18 years ago
At the New Delhi Auto Expo in India, Tata Motors unveiled the Nano, billing it as the world’s cheapest car: The anticipated price tag was around $2,500 Read more…
2011
15 years ago
Italian auto giant Fiat said it had increased its stake in Chrysler to 25% from 20% as part of a deal signed after the iconic US brand emerged from bankruptcy in 2009 Read more…
2019
7 years ago
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles agreed to pay California $78 Read more…
2020
6 years ago
Ford Mustang GT that Steve McQueen drove in the classic car chase from the movie “Bullitt,” was sold for $3.4 million at auction Read more…
