On this day in…
1899
124 years ago
Fritz Held won the Great Gold Medal in the 120 mile (193 Read more…
1899
124 years ago
The first motorised mail service in the United States began in Buffalo, New York, with Dr Truman J Martin supplying his own 1898 Columbia Electric Read more…
1900
123 years ago
The first Padova to Bovolenta automobile, voiturette and motorcycle race in Italy began Read more…
1903
120 years ago
The fourth Gordon Bennett Cup began Read more…
1904
119 years ago
Buick, Studebaker, and Worthington joined the The Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers (ALAM) to comply with Selden patent rights Read more…
1905
118 years ago
The world’s first 24-hour race began at the Driving Park track in Columbia, Ohio, US Read more…
1907
116 years ago
Thirty eight cars started the French Grand Prix at one minute intervals to complete 10 laps of a 48-mile (77 km) circuit on a triangular circuit near the city of Dieppe Read more…
1909
114 years ago
The Hudson Motor Car Company produced its first car Read more…
1912
111 years ago
William L Read more…
1921
102 years ago
1923
100 years ago
Henry Seagrave driving a Sunbeam won the French Grand Prix, run over 35 laps of a public road circuit in Tours (496 miles) in a time of 6 hours 35 minutes and 19 seconds Read more…
1928
95 years ago
Chrysler Corporation acquired Dodge Brothers, Inc Read more…
1932
91 years ago
Automobile manufacture and designer Fred Duesenberg overturned his Duesenberg car on a wet Lincoln Highway on Ligonier Mountain near Jennerstown, Pennsylvania, apparently at high speed Read more…
1935
88 years ago
Ab Jenkins and the Duesenberg Special set a Class B super-stock record for the flying mile of 145 Read more…
1938
85 years ago
Geoffrey Taylor, driving a 2-litre Ala Romeo, set a 1/2-mile record of 80 Read more…
1939
84 years ago
Raymond Sommer in an Alfa Romeo 308 won the Grand Prix des Remparts, contested over 80 laps (1 Read more…
1950
73 years ago
The eighth race of the 1950 NASCAR season was run at Monroe County Fairgrounds in Rochester, New York Read more…
1950
73 years ago
Juan Manuel Fangio put on a stunning display, including a 116 mph practice lap, to win the French Grand Prix at Reims, driving a Alfa Romeo 158 Read more…
1961
62 years ago
The A1M Doncaster (England) by-pass opened to traffic Read more…
1961
62 years ago
Giancarlo Baghetti won the French Grand Prix for Ferrari at Reims, the only driver to win their first Grand Prix Read more…
1962
61 years ago
The first 26 miles (42 km) of the M5 motorway to be built, constructed as a dual two-lane motorway (two lanes in each direction), with Worcestershire County Council acting as engineer, opened Read more…
1962
61 years ago
Ford produced its 30,000,000th V8 engine Read more…
1962
61 years ago
The Studebaker-Packard Corporation officially became the Studebaker Corporation, legally terminating the Packard marque Read more…
1963
60 years ago
The first completed tunnel tube of the Clyde Tunnel beneath the River Clyde in Glasgow, for northbound traffic, was opened by Queen Elizabeth II, with the southbound tunnel opening in March 1964 Read more…
1964
59 years ago
Racer Glenn ‘Fireball’ Roberts (35) died from injuries suffered during a NASCAR race on 24 May in Charlotte, North Carolina, US Read more…
1967
56 years ago
Jack Brabham in a Brabham-Repco BT24 won the first French Grand Prix to be held in Le Mans since the first ever running of the race in 1906 Read more…
1967
56 years ago
The first Formula Ford race was staged at Brands Hatch, England Read more…
1967
56 years ago
Vanden Plas (England) 1923 Ltd became part of the British Motor Corporation Read more…
1968
55 years ago
The driving test fee in the UK was increased to £1 and 15 shillings (£1 Read more…
1972
51 years ago
Jackie Stewart in a Tyrrell-Cosworth 003 won the French Grand Prix held at Clermont-Ferrand Read more…
1985
38 years ago
General Motors announced that it was installing electronic road maps as an option on some of its higher-priced car models Read more…
1985
38 years ago
Former Formula One driver David Purley (40) died when his Pitts Special aerobatic biplane crashed into the sea off Bognor Regis, Sussex Read more…
1992
31 years ago
The one-millionth Corvette, a white LT1 roadster with a red interior and a black roof – the same colours as the original 1953 model – was driven off the production line by original Corvette engineer Zora Arkus Duntov in Bowling Green, Kentucky Read more…
1992
31 years ago
Jacques Calvet, Chairman of Automobiles Citroën, inaugurated the Citroën Institute Read more…
1994
29 years ago
Jimmy Spencer nabbed Ernie Irvan a few feet short of the finish line and prevails in a photo finish, scoring the first NASCAR Winston Cup win of his career in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona Read more…
1995
28 years ago
Michael Schumacher in a Benetton-Renault B195 extended his championship lead over Damon Hill to 11 points, by winning the French Grand Prix at Magny Cours Read more…
2002
21 years ago
Michael Schumacher won the French Grand Prix to secure his 5th World Drivers’ Championship title, equalling Juan Manuel Fangio’s record set over 40 years before Read more…
2005
18 years ago
Reva Electric Car, an Indian company that launched the country’s first electric car, received 500 orders from Britain and announced it would build environment-friendly mini-buses and small taxis Read more…
2006
17 years ago
Michael Schumacher won the United States Grand Prix for a fifth time, becoming the first five-time winner of a major event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Read more…
2006
17 years ago
Scott Moran, set a Harewood Speed Hillclimb, West Yorkshire outright record of 49 Read more…
2012
11 years ago
China’s state media reported that the booming southern city of Guangzhou had imposed a cap on the number of cars allowed to be sold in an effort to curb worsening traffic and pollution Read more…
2019
4 years ago
Lee Iacocca (94), father of the Ford Mustang and rescuer of Chrysler Corp Read more…
