On this day in…
1889
134 years ago
The Austrian Automobile Association (ARBO) was organised Read more…
1890
133 years ago
Emile Levassor married Louise Sarazin, the widow of Edouard Sarazin and the French distributor of Daimler engines Read more…
1904
119 years ago
Clement Smith and Terry Stafford were issued with a United States patent for their clutch and planetary transmission design, Read more…
1909
114 years ago
Concert pianist Josef Hofmann completed the first and only Hofmann, a large six-cylinder car built at his home in Aiken, South Carolina, US Read more…
1921
102 years ago
The Earl of Shrewsbury, the financial backer of Clement-Talbot, Ltd Read more…
1922
101 years ago
The first English woman ever to compete in a motor race, Dorothy Elizabeth Levitt (40), died Read more…
1925
98 years ago
The long-distance motor race at the Autodrome de Montlhéry, just outside of Paris, had a remarkable ending Read more…
1929
94 years ago
Construction work on the new £5 million Ford Dagenham factory began Read more…
1930
93 years ago
Rocket-powered automobile pioneer Max Valier (35) was killed in Berlin, Germany when an alcohol rocket exploded during testing Read more…
1930
93 years ago
Construction began on the new Ford-Werke AG factory in Niehl, Germany, near Cologne Read more…
1931
92 years ago
The Casablanca Grand Prix was held over fifty five laps of a four-mile circuit through the streets of Casablanca formed this event, which in the previous year had been run over a single circuit of 450 miles covering the south of Morocco Read more…
1934
89 years ago
Gordon M Buehrig filed a patent application for his automobile design that would evolve into the 1936 Cord 810 Read more…
1947
76 years ago
The first climb of the inaugural series of the British Hill Climb Championship (BHCC) was staged at Bo’ness, near Linlithgow, Scotland Read more…
1959
64 years ago
Tom Pistone, driving a 1959 Ford Thunderbird, scored his first career win in the 100-miler at Trenton Speedway, New Jersey (US) Read more…
1959
64 years ago
The 1957 USAC Stock Car champion, Jerry Unser (26) died Read more…
1962
61 years ago
The last Volvo P2101 chassis was produced Read more…
1964
59 years ago
The ‘Christmas Tree’ electronic starting system was used for the first time in drag racing in the UK, at Duxford Airfield, Cambridgeshire Read more…
1966
57 years ago
UK Transport Minister Barbara Castle stated that the 70 mph limit would continue until 1967 Read more…
1970
53 years ago
Cadwallader Washburn ‘Carl’ Kelsey (89), a Maxwell-Briscoe Motor Company executive, who later built the 1911-14 three-wheeled Motorette and the 1920-21 Kelsey, died Read more…
1980
43 years ago
Ever skipped a stone across a pond? Now, close your eyes and imagine that instead of a pond, it’s a tightly-bunched field of F1 cars, and instead of a stone, it’s a Tyrrell 010 from 1980 Read more…
1981
42 years ago
The Belgian Grand Prix, won by Carlos Reutemann in a Williams-Cosworth FW07C, was marred by two serious incidents involving mechanics, one fatal Read more…
1987
36 years ago
Dale Earnhardt won the third running of NASCAR’s All-Star Race, executing the famed “Pass in the Grass” after clashing with Geoffrey Bodine and Bill Elliott in the final 10-lap segment at Charlotte Motor Speedway, North Carolina, US Read more…
1987
36 years ago
The Belgian Grand Prix was held at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Spa Read more…
1987
36 years ago
After two mostly uneventful runnings, in 1987, a new format was introduced for NASCAR’s all-star event, The Winston at Charlotte Motor Speedway Read more…
1992
31 years ago
Nigel Mansell gained the 26th Grand Prix win of his racing career at Imola, San Marino, becoming the most successful British driver in Grand Prix races, and the fourth worldwide Read more…
1994
29 years ago
Al Unser Sr Read more…
1996
27 years ago
IndyCar veteran Scott Brayton (40) won pole position for the 1996 Indianapolis 500 but was killed after a tyre deflation caused his car to crash into a retaining wall during a practice run at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Read more…
1997
26 years ago
Troy Ruttman (67), a Southern California hot-rodder who in 1952 became the youngest driver to win the Indianapolis 500, died in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, US Read more…
1999
24 years ago
Ford announced that all of its pickup trucks would be Low Emission Vehicles, starting with F-Series trucks in model year 2000 Read more…
2000
23 years ago
PSA Peugeot Citröen rolled out the 5000th electric car, a white Citroën Saxo, produced at the Heuliez assembly plant in Cerizay, France Read more…
2001
22 years ago
Ford donated $10 million to Northwestern University for new Engineering Design Center Read more…
2003
20 years ago
A double-decker bus carrying German tourists crashed on a highway near Lyon, France killing 28 and injuring 46 passengers Read more…
2005
18 years ago
Toyota Motor Company announced its plans to produce a petrol (gasoline)-electric hybrid version of its bestselling Camry model Read more…
2006
17 years ago
Nissan released the Atlas 20 hybrid truck in Japan Read more…
2006
17 years ago
Vauxhall announced the loss of 900 jobs from Ellesmere Port’s 3,000 staff, part of significant worldwide staff reductions by General Motors Read more…
2007
16 years ago
Andy Warhol’s 1963 painting Green Car Crash (Green Burning Car I), depicting an overturned car on fire, was sold for $71.7 million (£36.3 million) in New York Read more…
2007
16 years ago
Officials at the largest Honda auto engine plant in the world celebrated the 15 millionth engine produced since Honda of America Manufacturing Read more…
2008
15 years ago
Kasey Kahne won the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, North Carolina, US Read more…
2010
13 years ago
The US Treasury Department received a $1 Read more…
2014
9 years ago
The first British Electric Motorcycle Land Speed Record was set at Elvington Airfield in Yorkshire by Sam Green with Saietta R, a British electric urban sports road motorcycle brand, and in partnership with Darvill Racing team Read more…
2015
8 years ago
Gunfire erupted in Waco, Texas, US when a fight broke out between multiple motorcycle clubs (MC) at a Twin Peaks Restaurant Read more…
