On this day in…
1865
158 years ago
Speed limits of just 2 mph in towns and 4 mph in the country were imposed in Britain under the Locomotives on Highways Act to improve the safety of horse-drawn vehicles against the steam-engined vehicles that were becoming increasingly popular on the roads Read more…
1866
157 years ago
Father George A Read more…
1905
118 years ago
The last of the six Gordon-Bennett Cup Races, took place in France over a 85 mile (137 km) mountainous circuit in the Auvergne near to Clermont-Ferrand Read more…
1912
111 years ago
The main event of the first Montamara Fiesta Road Races in Tacoma, Washington, US, a 250 mile ‘Free-for-all-Race Read more…
1915
108 years ago
The Omaha 1-mile board track in Nebraska, US, opened with a 302-mile race won by Eddie Rickenbacker in a Maxwell Read more…
1916
107 years ago
Adelina and August Van Buren began the first successful transcontinental motorcycle tour by two women Read more…
1927
96 years ago
Construction began on the new GMC truck factory and headquarters building in Pontiac, Michigan, US Read more…
1933
90 years ago
Fritz Todt was appointed general inspector for German highways Read more…
1936
87 years ago
Jean-Pierre Wimille (Bugatti T57G) won the Grand Prix de la Marne sports car race at the Reims-Gueux track in France Read more…
1937
86 years ago
The second and last Vanderbilt Trophy race was staged at the Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury, Long Island, New York and was won by Bernd Rosemeyer in a Typ C Auto Union Read more…
1937
86 years ago
Commander Walter George Windham (73), credited with many firsts in British automobile and aviation history, died in Builth Wells, Radnorshire, Wales Read more…
1942
81 years ago
Edsel Ford of Detroit was disappointed to discover that because of strict wartime auto rationing, he was unable to get a car until his application had been approved by the government Read more…
1953
70 years ago
Mike Hawthorn’s Ferrari beat Fangio’s Maserati by just 1 second after two and three quarter hours of racing at the 1953 French Grand Prix at Reims Read more…
1954
69 years ago
American racecar driver Bob Scott (25) died in a crash during a Champ Car race at Darlington Raceway Read more…
1954
69 years ago
Held on the same day as the 1954 World Cup Final, Manuel Fangio driving a Mercedes W196 powered by a straight-8 fuel-injection engine, won the Reims Grand Prix Read more…
1956
67 years ago
Oscar C Read more…
1959
64 years ago
The sun was so hot at the French Grand Prix, that the track surface began to melt Read more…
1970
53 years ago
Clermont-Ferrand staged the French Grand Prix, which was won by Jochen Rindt in a Lotus-Cosworth 72C Read more…
1974
49 years ago
Ralph Hamlin (93), driver of the first car to reach the summit of Mount Wahington, New Hampshire, died Read more…
1981
42 years ago
Alain Prost driving a Renault RE30 claimed the first of an eventful 51 wins for Renault, at the French Grand Prix Read more…
1987
36 years ago
British driver Nigel Mansell in a Williams FW11B won the French Grand Prix Read more…
1987
36 years ago
Larry Pearson bypassed Joe Thurman with 10 laps left and led the rest of the NASCAR Nationwide Series’ Budweiser 200 at Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Georgia, US Read more…
1988
35 years ago
Joe Schwarzkopf-Bowers drove a complete circuit of London’s (UK) orbital motorway, M25 (117 miles) nonstop in a modified battery-powered Bond Equipe on a single charge, at an average speed of 40 mph. Read more…
1990
33 years ago
The Lexus LS400 was launched in the UK Read more…
1990
33 years ago
Amos Neyhart, an engineering professor who established the first driver education courses in the US in the early 1930’s, died in a Pennsylvania nursing home at the age of 91 Read more…
1992
31 years ago
Nigel Mansell won the French Grand Prix in a Williams-Renault FW14B Read more…
1996
27 years ago
Joe Amato set an NHRA Top Fuel 1/4-mile elapse time record with a run of 4 Read more…
1997
26 years ago
John Andretti held off Terry Labonte on the final lap to score his first career NASCAR Winston Cup victory in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona, Florida (US) Read more…
2000
23 years ago
The British land speed record was set at Elvington by the jet-propelled Vampire car,driven by Collin Fallows, who hit a speed of 300 Read more…
2003
20 years ago
Rookie Greg Biffle pulled off an upset win in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway Read more…
2005
18 years ago
38 people died in a Badarmude, Nepal from a terrorist attack on a civilian commuter bus Read more…
2006
17 years ago
A1GP revealed its provisional calendar for season two adding new races to the line-up which included the Beijing street race and an event at the newly upgraded Taupo Park in New Zealand Read more…
2012
11 years ago
Senior vice president of Mini brand management, Dr Read more…
2013
10 years ago
The last BMW M3 coupe rolled off the assembly line in Germany Read more…
2015
8 years ago
Lewis Hamilton won the 70th British Grand Prix in front of 140,000 spectators at Silverstone, for the second consecutive year with Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg finishing 11 seconds behind him in second place Read more…