On this day in…

1896

127 years ago

William Riley founded the Riley Cycle Co Read more…

1903

120 years ago

Dr Horatio Nelson Jackson left San Francisco off on the first successful attempt to cross the US by automobile Read more…

1905

118 years ago

The first Rolls-Royce 30-hp 6-cylinder was completed Read more…

1913

110 years ago

A 10-mph speed limit was set at Hyde Park Corner, London, the world’s busiest traffic junction at the time. Read more…

1914

109 years ago

A quarter-mile track opened in Toronto, Canada with all 7,000 seats full and many more standing Read more…

1925

98 years ago

Land speed record holder Henry Segrave made the fastest climb at Shelsley Walsh on his only appearance at the famous hillclimb with a works 2 litre Grand Prix Sunbeam Read more…

1928

95 years ago

Fritz von Opel drove the rocket-car Opel Rak 2, equipped with 24 Brander powder rockets, to 143 mph (220 km/h) at the Avus Track, near Berlin before 2,000 invited spectators Read more…

1934

89 years ago

Clyde Champion Barrow and Bonnie Parker were shot to death by Texas and Louisiana state police officers as they attempted to escape apprehension in a stolen 1934 Ford V-8 near Bienville Parish, Louisiana Read more…

1941

82 years ago

The English car designer and builder who founded the Austin Motor Company, Herbert Austin KBE (74), died after a heart attack Read more…

1948

75 years ago

NASCAR staged three championship events in different locations in the US on the same day Read more…

1954

69 years ago

Lee Petty lapped the field to notch a rain-shortened win in the only appearance for NASCAR’s top series at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio, US Read more…

1962

61 years ago

Louis Hervé Coatalen (82), French automobile engineer, died Read more…

1971

52 years ago

Maserati went into liquidation Read more…

1971

52 years ago

After taking pole by more than a second, Jackie Stewart produced a dominant display to win his second Monaco Grand Prix Read more…

1979

44 years ago

Hubert van Doorne (79), founder of Van Doorne’s Aanhangwagenfabriek (Trailer factory) and of Van Doorne’s Automobielfabriek (vehicle factory) known, especially to non-Dutch speakers, as DAF, together with his brother Willem (Wim) van Doorne, died Read more…

1982

41 years ago

The Monaco Grand Prix was held, the first race following the death of Gilles Villeneuve at the Belgian Grand Prix; consequently Ferrari entered only one driver, Didier Pironi Read more…

1982

41 years ago

Don Prudhomme set an NHRA Funny Car top speed record of 250 Read more…

1986

37 years ago

A bus fell off a cliff and exploded in Antique Province, Philippines, killing 23 and injuring 15 Read more…

1988

35 years ago

The three-millionth North American Ford Escort was built at Wayne (Michigan) Assembly Plant Read more…

1989

34 years ago

Citroën launched a new flagship model, the XM Read more…

1993

30 years ago

Ayrton Senna driving a McLaren-Ford MP4/8 won the Monaco Grand Prix Read more…

2000

23 years ago

BMW Group and Ford Motor Company announced that they had signed a definitive agreement for Ford to buy the Land Rover business from BMW Read more…

2004

19 years ago

The Monaco Grand Prix (formally the LII Grand Prix de Monaco) was held at the Circuit de Monaco, contested over 77 laps Read more…

2005

18 years ago

Ernst Henne, one of the most successful German motorcycle racers, died at the age of 101 Read more…

2009

14 years ago

Jim Clark in a Lotus-Climax 25 won the Dutch Grand Prix run over 80 laps of the 2 Read more…