On this day in…
1895
128 years ago
G F Shaver of New York City won a $500 prize to coin a new name for the horseless carriage – “motor cycle” Read more…
1900
123 years ago
The Paris – Toulouse – Paris road race began Read more…
1903
120 years ago
Barney Oldfield made his final appearance with the Ford ‘999’ raised the closed-course speed record to 65 Read more…
1904
119 years ago
The first tour of the American Automobile Association, started in New York City enroute to St Louis, US Read more…
1913
110 years ago
The Hupp Corporation, manufacturers of the R Read more…
1915
108 years ago
Barney Oldfield, driving a Fiat at Des Moines Speedway in Iowa, US set an unofficial 5-mile World’s Record of 3 minutes and 1 Read more…
1916
107 years ago
A patent for the Autoped, a “self-propelled vehicle”, was granted Read more…
1921
102 years ago
The Rickenbacker Motor Company was incorporated in Lansing, Michigan by Barney Everitt, William E Metzger and Walter E Flanders, with its cars named after racer and World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker, who had little actual input into the affairs of the business Read more…
1924
99 years ago
Engineer Gustaf Larson and SKF sales manager Assar Gabrielsson met by chance over a plate of crayfish, and after enjoying their meal agreed to start up production of ‘The Swedish Car’, ie Volvo Read more…
1937
86 years ago
Driver Ernst von Delius collided with Richard Seaman during the German Grand Prix held at Nürburgring on lap 6 and the accident was eventually fatal for von Delius, experiencing thrombosis Read more…
1941
82 years ago
American automaker Henry Ford wrote a letter to the Indian nationalist leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi Read more…
1945
78 years ago
The Kaiser-Frazer Corporation was organised with Henry J Kaiser as Chairman of the Board and Joseph W Frazer as President and General Manager Read more…
1947
76 years ago
The 1948 Packard Twenty – Second Series Super Eight and Custom Eight convertibles were introduced, the marque’s first open-bodied cars of the post-World War II era Read more…
1948
75 years ago
Slick Davis became the first NASCAR driver to be fatally injured Read more…
1964
59 years ago
A traffic jam 35 miles in length was reported between Torquay and Yarmouth in Devon Read more…
1966
57 years ago
A bus carrying Belgian children from vacation plunged off a West German autobahn bridge killing 33, including 27 children Read more…
1971
52 years ago
Peter Revson and Denny Hulme, driving McLaren M8F-Chevrolets, finished 1-2 for Team McLaren in the Can-Am race at Watkins Glen, New York, US Read more…
1977
46 years ago
Bobby Isaac survived a race of attrition to post a dominant win in the Nashville 420 at the 0 Read more…
1978
45 years ago
Motability, a new scheme providing cars for disabled people was launched in Earl’s Court, London, with the handing over of ten specially modified cars Read more…
1982
41 years ago
Six turbo-charged cars completed the first 6 grid positions at the French Grand Prix at the Paul Ricard circuit Read more…
1985
38 years ago
The two millionth Ford Transit was produced Read more…
1993
30 years ago
The German Grand Prix, contested over 45 laps of the Hockenheim circuit, was won by Alain Prost, driving a Williams-Renault, after team-mate Damon Hill was denied a first win by a tyre problem on the penultimate lap Read more…
1993
30 years ago
Dale Earnhardt beat Ernie Irvan by an eyelash to win the DieHard 500 at Talladega, Alabama (US) Read more…
2004
19 years ago
British driver Fiona Leggate completed five races in 24 hours at Silverstone to establish a record for the most races driven by one driver in a day Read more…
2006
17 years ago
Italian car maker Fiat and India’s Tata Motors announced they had signed an agreement for a joint-venture in India to make passenger vehicles, engines and transmissions for Indian and overseas markets. Read more…
2018
5 years ago
In Switzerland Sergio Marchionne (66) died after unexpected complications from surgery in Zurich Read more…
