On this day in…
1887
136 years ago
Hammersmith Bridge in London was officially opened Read more…
1903
120 years ago
The original Mercedes Seelberg-Cannstatt car plant in Germany suffered a great fire Read more…
1907
116 years ago
Five vehicles left Peking at the start of the Peking-Paris rally sponsored by Parisian daily newspaper Le Matin Read more…
1911
112 years ago
The first American LaFrance rotary gear pumping engine fire truck was sold to the San Antonio (Texas, US) Fire Department Read more…
1914
109 years ago
The Tourist Trophy held on the Isle of Man was won by Kenhelm Lee Guinness driving a Sunbeam 3255cc Read more…
1927
96 years ago
The Graham Brothers acquired control of the Paige-Detroit Motor Car Company Read more…
1934
89 years ago
Henry Ford was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, US Read more…
1946
77 years ago
Legendary boxer Jack Johnson died in a car crash on US Highway 1 near Raleigh, North Carolina, aged 68 Read more…
1947
76 years ago
Saab introduced its first car, the model 92 prototype Read more…
1949
74 years ago
Hailed as a visionary by some and a con artist by others, Preston Tucker (1903-1956) was the man behind an innovative, futuristic-looking car that debuted amid great fanfare during the summer of 1948, was indicted for fraud Read more…
1954
69 years ago
General Motors announced their GM Turbocruiser, a modified GMC coach powered by a gas turbine, built by their research staff, had been successfully tested over 2,000 miles Read more…
1954
69 years ago
The NHRA’s Drag Safari (later called Safety Safari) set out on their first country wide trip to help local organizers set up and run safe drag races Read more…
1956
67 years ago
Ralph Moody wheeled a DePaolo Engineering Ford to victory at West Memphis Speedway, halting the 16-race win streak by the Kiekhaefer team Read more…
1962
61 years ago
Jack Hinkle drove a Maserati Tipo 61 “Birdcage” to victory in a sports car race at Ponca City, Oklahoma, US Read more…
1962
61 years ago
Fred Lorenzen beat the field and the rain to the finish line to win an abbreviated Atlanta 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, scoring the fourth of his 26 wins in NASCAR’s top division Read more…
1963
60 years ago
Anita King (78), American racecar and stunt driver, actress, and thoroughbred racehorse owner, died Read more…
1968
55 years ago
The 3,000,000th post-World War II Cadillac was produced, a gold DeVille convertible Read more…
1979
44 years ago
Paul Newman, the blue-eyed movie star-turned-race car driver, accomplished the greatest feat of his racing career by racing to second place in the 24 Hours of Le Mans Read more…
1979
44 years ago
Bobby Unser drove the “Norton Spirit” Penske-Cosworth to victory in both races of the Trenton Twin Indy at Trenton Speedway in Trenton, New Jersey, US Read more…
1981
42 years ago
The last ‘der Grosser’ Mercedes-Benz 600 was produced, ending a production run of 2,677 units over 18 years Read more…
1984
39 years ago
Al Holbert and Derick Bell drove a Porsche 962 to victory in the Mid-Ohio 500km IMSA Camel GTP race in Lexington, Ohio, USA Read more…
1989
34 years ago
Alain Ferté of France, in a Jaguar XJR-9LM recorded the fastest lap in the Le Mans 24-hour race, 3 minutes 21 Read more…
1990
33 years ago
Rusty Wallace tamed the field on the twisting road course in Sonoma, California, (US) for his fifth win in his last seven starts on road courses Read more…
1990
33 years ago
Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna driving a McLaren MP4/5B won the Canadian Grand Prix held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for the second time Read more…
1994
29 years ago
Ford Japan introduced the U Read more…
2000
23 years ago
Streetka, the Ghia-built star of the 2000 Turin Motor Show, finally evolved from concept to production reality Read more…
2001
22 years ago
It was a Schumacher 1-2 in Montreal at the Canadian Grand Prix, the first time brothers had finished winner and runner-up in an F1 race Read more…
2007
16 years ago
Lewis Hamilton’s first F1 win came in the Canadian Grand Prix, a race littered with safety car periods – one for an absolutely colossal accident involving Robert Kubica Read more…
2007
16 years ago
Having started in pole position, British driver Lewis Hamilton won his first F1 race in an incident-strewn Canadian Grand Prix Read more…
2008
15 years ago
Japan’s Toyota said it would start making the Camry hybrid in Australia and Thailand as part of the its efforts to step up production of “green” cars around the world Read more…
2009
14 years ago
Italy’s Fiat became the new owner of the bulk of Chrysler’s assets, closing a deal that saved the troubled US automaker from liquidation and placed the new company in the hands of Fiat’s CEO Read more…
2012
11 years ago
The final 41-mile stretch of Texas Highway 130 opened with a speed limit of 85 mph, the highest posted speed limit in the United States Read more…
2012
11 years ago
The 2012 season reached a streak of seven different winners from the first seven races when Lewis Hamilton won in Canada Read more…
2013
10 years ago
Brazil’s government announced plans to build its first auto crash test facility in an effort to improve the poor safety record of vehicles built and sold in the world’s fourth-largest automobile market Read more…
2018
5 years ago
The Canadian Grand Prix has a reputation for producing exciting races but there are always exceptions – and 2018 was about as boring as races anywhere can come Read more…
