On this day in…
1918
106 years ago
The first Chevrolet trucks went on sale Read more…
1921
103 years ago
Rolls Royce Ltd Board of Directors approved production plans for the ‘Goshawk’, which would be marketed as the 20HP Read more…
1924
100 years ago
The first General Motors vehicle manufactured outside the US and Canada, a Chevrolet utility truck, rolled off General Motors’ first European assembly plant, in Copenhagen, under the name General Motors International A/S Read more…
1928
96 years ago
The Dodge Brothers Victory Six was introduced to the public at the New York Show Read more…
1929
95 years ago
Walter Chrysler, the founder of the Chrysler Corporation, one of America’s Big Three automakers, was featured on the cover of Time magazine as its Man of the Year Read more…
1929
95 years ago
The first Plymouth Model U was produced Read more…
1936
88 years ago
The Pontiac ‘Indian Head in oval’ mascot was patented by designer Franklin Q Hershey Read more…
1956
68 years ago
The New Zealand Grand Prix run over 100 laps of the 2 mile Ardmore was won by Stirling Moss in a Maserati 250F Read more…
1956
68 years ago
“June in January” was the cheerful theme at the opening of the 1956 Chicago Auto Show, where for the first time, all exhibits appeared on the ground floor of the International Ampitheatre Read more…
1956
68 years ago
The Plymouth Fury sport coupe was introduced Read more…
1963
61 years ago
Ford produced its 60-millionth vehicle, a 1963 Mercury. Read more…
1964
60 years ago
Reginald Harold Haslam Parnell (52), Formula One driver and team manager from England died Read more…
1964
60 years ago
Leyland Motor Corporation announced the sale of 450 buses to the Cuban government, challenging the US’s blockade of Cuba. Read more…
1967
57 years ago
The 14th New Zealand Grand Prix, held at the Pukekohe Park Raceway, which doubled as the opening round of the 1967 Tasman Series Read more…
1969
55 years ago
Fiat acquired a 50% stake in Ferrari Read more…
1974
50 years ago
Edsel B Read more…
1978
46 years ago
Sleepy Tripp won the prestigious 30-lap World Derby speedcar (midget) race at the Western Springs Speedway, Auckland, New Zealand Read more…
1980
44 years ago
President Carter signed the Chrysler Corporation Loan Guarantee Act Read more…
1982
42 years ago
Bert Oosterhuis, Dutch motor racing driver was killed during the Dakar Rally during the section from Bordj Omar Driss to Tit, in Algeria Read more…
1985
39 years ago
General Motors launched the Saturn Corporation, marketed as a ‘different kind of company’, in response to the success of Japanese car imports in the US Read more…
1986
38 years ago
International Trucks, the non-agricultural side of the defunct International Harvester Company, was reorganised as the Navistar International Corporation Read more…
1987
37 years ago
Randy Kinser won the $20,000 Castrol Grand National Sprint Car race at the Liverpool Speedway, Sydney, Australia Read more…
1989
35 years ago
John Frank Adams (58), a British mathematician, one of the founders of homotopy theory, died in a car accident in Brampton, Cambridgeshire Read more…
1989
35 years ago
The Dodge Viper concept was introduced at the North American International Automobile Show Read more…
1993
31 years ago
Reigning Formula One World Champion, Nigel Mansell drove on an American oval for the first time when he practiced at Phoenix, Arizona, in a Newman-Haas Lola-Ford Read more…
1993
31 years ago
Honda announced it would build engines for use in CART and the Indianapolis 500 Read more…
1999
25 years ago
The High-Speed Circuit lap record at MIRA in Warwickshire was broken by a McLaren F1 road car, driven by Peter Taylor, averaging 168mph (270 Read more…
2000
24 years ago
The ‘Ford Racing Puma’ officially went on sale in the UK, OTR prices started at £22,750 Read more…
2000
24 years ago
Edward T Read more…
2001
23 years ago
North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit opened to the public with more than 40 automakers exhibiting over 700 cars and trucks Read more…
2002
22 years ago
It is announced that a record of 2,450,000 new cars were sold in Britain during 2001, breaking the previous record set in 1989 Read more…
2002
22 years ago
Geoffrey Crossley (80), British racing driver who participated in 2 World Championship Formula One Grand Prix, debuting in May 1950, and in numerous non-Championship Formula One races, died Read more…
2003
21 years ago
A state-of-the-art text service to warn drivers about possible traffic problems on the M4 in south Wales was launched Read more…
2004
20 years ago
Mercedes-Benz unveiled its new SLK-Class in Stuttgart Read more…
2004
20 years ago
Mauritania armed security force members stopped racers from the famed Paris-Dakar Rally, demanding $65 from each vehicle to pass the border Read more…
2005
19 years ago
An armed robber held up a petrol station in the US and then went back to ask for directions Read more…
2005
19 years ago
Red Bull, who had bought Jaguar F1 two months earlier, appointed Christian Horner as its sporting director and at the same time dispensed with the services of Jaguar team principal Tony Purnell and managing director David Pitchforth Read more…
2005
19 years ago
Canadian press reported that a Canadian policeman booked identical twins for speeding on the same day – in the same car Read more…
2007
17 years ago
Bobby Hamilton (49), NASCAR driver, died of cancer Read more…
2007
17 years ago
China’s Changfeng Group Co Read more…
2007
17 years ago
General Motors introduced the Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid concept car at North American International Auto Show, becoming the first-ever series plug-in hybrid concept car shown by a major car manufacturer Read more…
2007
17 years ago
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars unveiled its new Phantom Drophead Coupé at the Detroit Motor Show Read more…
