On this day in…
1887
137 years ago
The Daimler “benzin motor carriage” made its first test run in Esslingen and Cannstatt, Germany Read more…
1899
125 years ago
Count Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat with a Jeantaud electric car weighting 1.5 tons won the third of a series of challenges with Camille Jenatzy in the famous Jamais Contente Read more…
1900
124 years ago
The Automobile Club of America (ACA) staged its first race, a round trip between Springfield, Long Island, NY and Babylon, NY Read more…
1902
122 years ago
The American Automobile Association (AAA) was founded Read more…
1910
114 years ago
The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, originally incorporated in West Virginia, US in 1900 was reorganised as an Ohio corporation Read more…
1917
107 years ago
Earl Cooper won the AAA Championship race on the 1-mile dirt Ascot Speedway, averaging 65 Read more…
1921
103 years ago
Warren Gamaliel Harding became the first President of the US to ride to his inauguration in an automobile – a Packard Twin Six Read more…
1923
101 years ago
French driver Etienne Grua died after his 180 hp racecar spun at 150 km/h in a Le Camp hillclimb turn, in France, crashing down a 200 metre deep ravine Read more…
1927
97 years ago
The FIAT 509 Sport made its world debut at the Geneva Auto Show Read more…
1934
90 years ago
The great Ernie Triplett-Al Gordon duels in AAA Pacific Coast Championship races came to an end after a tragic accident on the dusty 1-mile dirt oval at the California Mid-Winter Fairgrounds Read more…
1961
63 years ago
Wendell Scott became the first African-American to race on the NASCAR Grand National circuit, in Spartanburg, South Carolina Read more…
1966
58 years ago
The Studebaker Corporation announced that it was abandoning automobile production as the last Canadian-built car, a V8-powered Cruiser four-door sedan, rolled off the Hamilton assembly line Read more…
1968
56 years ago
England’s Piers Courage splashed to victory in the rainy final round of the Tasman Cup series, held on the public road Longford circuit in Tasmania Read more…
1972
52 years ago
Denny Hulme won the South African Grand Prix at Kyalami Read more…
1978
46 years ago
Ronnie Peterson won the South African Grand Prix from 11th on the grid in his Lotus, ahead of Patrick Depailler in a Tyrrell and John Watson in his Brabham Read more…
1982
42 years ago
The Bentley Mulsanne Turbo was unveiled at the Geneva International Auto Show Read more…
1985
39 years ago
A virtual ban on leaded gas was ordered by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Read more…
1987
37 years ago
David Cooper of Perth, Scotland became the oldest man, at the age of 89 to pass the Department of Transport’s driving test. Read more…
1990
34 years ago
At the third race of the 1990 NASCAR season, the Goodwrench 500, no driver had won a race from pole position for an entire season (29 races), which meant the $7,600 prize, which accumulates for every unsuccessful attempt or rainout, had reached $228,400 Read more…
1992
32 years ago
Paul Schweizer, driving a Horlacher Na-S Sport battery-powered car designed and built by Horlacher AG of Mohlin, Switzerland, set a world record by driving 339 Read more…
1993
31 years ago
The Lamborghini Diablo VT, 4WD, was introduced to the press and the public during the Geneva Motor Show Read more…
1994
30 years ago
A joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and SMH (today The Swatch Group Ltd) was announced to the world’s press Read more…
1994
30 years ago
Mercedes-Benz introduced its subcompact prototypes, Eco-Sprinter and Eco-Speedster in Stuttgart, Germany, prior to the Geneva Motor Show – the two cars were developed in cooperation with Nicolas Hayek, President of the Swiss watch conglomerate SMH Read more…
1997
27 years ago
Roger Reiman (58), longtime Harley-Davidson dealer who won the inaugural Daytona 200 contested at the Speedway in 1961 as well as 1964–65 died of injuries sustained in a multi-bike accident Read more…
1998
26 years ago
Ford employees earned record profit sharing averaging $4,400 Read more…
2001
23 years ago
The first race of the F1 season in Australia also saw the first fatality Read more…
2001
23 years ago
A car bomb exploded outside the BBC’s main news centre in London Read more…
2001
23 years ago
In his 318th NASCAR start, Ted Musgrave, 45, picked up his first win, beating Travis Kvapil by 10 Read more…
2004
20 years ago
MG Sport & Racing announced a higher-powered version of its high performance sports car, the MG XPower SV-R, at the Geneva Show Read more…
2004
20 years ago
Pimp My Ride, a TV show produced by MTV and hosted by rapper Xzibit, in which a car is restored and customised, was first broadcast Read more…
2004
20 years ago
The Koenigsegg CCR supercar built in Italy, but produced in Sweden made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show Read more…
2004
20 years ago
MG Rover Group at the 74th Geneva Motor Show, unveiled a new 75-derived top-of-the-range Rover V8 saloon, in the marque’s centenary year Read more…
2008
16 years ago
Italian super sports car giant Lamborghini unveiled its new Gallardo Coupe LP560-4 and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars revealed its new Phantom Coupé at the 78th International Geneva Motor Show Read more…
2009
15 years ago
Briggs Automotive Company (BAC), a British sports car manufacturing company based in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire was founded by brothers Neill and Ian Briggs to produce specialist sports cars targeted at enthusiasts Read more…
2014
10 years ago
Rolls Royce Ghost Series II Read more…
2019
5 years ago
In Switzerland the electric Jaguar I-Pace won the Car of the Year award in Europe ahead of the 89th Geneva International Motor Show, at the Palexpo in Geneva Read more…
