On this day in…
1907
115 years ago
The Napier Motor Car Company of America, located in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts was dissolved Read more…
1908
114 years ago
The Overland Automobile Company and other business interests controlled by John N Willys were consolidated as the Willys-Overland Company Read more…
1916
106 years ago
The American Grand Prize, the last major race before the USA’s entry into World War One caused a cessation of competition, was won by co-drivers Howard Wilcox and Gil Anderson Read more…
1918
104 years ago
Harry W Read more…
1925
97 years ago
The Chevrolet 1929-31 ‘Eagle’ mascot was patented Read more…
1927
95 years ago
Henry Edmunds (74), the man who arranged the first meeting between H F Royce and Hon C S Rolls, died in Hove, England Read more…
1934
88 years ago
Piney E Holt (62) builder in 1896 of the first automobile in California and later an executive with the Caterpillar Tractor Company, died Read more…
1936
86 years ago
Supercharging was offered as a $415 extra-cost option on the Cord 812 Read more…
1940
82 years ago
Buick built its 4,000,000th automobile Read more…
1940
82 years ago
The Richardson Pan-American Highway Expedition began as a white 1941 Plymouth P11 Deluxe four-door sedan, with special equipment including 18-inch “high-clearance” wheels driven by Sullivan Richardson, Arnold Whitaker and Kenneth C Van Hee departed Detroit on the first automobile trip from North America to Punta Arenas, Magallanes, Chile at the southern tip of South America Read more…
1949
73 years ago
The 1950 Hudson Pacemakers were introduced as a lower priced, slightly shorter variant of the Super-Six series, Read more…
1956
66 years ago
Ken Miles won the Cal Club Under-1 Read more…
1956
66 years ago
NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Buck Baker prevailed with a last-lap pass, securing a thrilling victory by one foot over Joe Weatherly at Wilson (North Carolina, US) Speedway Read more…
1960
62 years ago
Just two weeks after the 1961 DeSoto was introduced to an uninterested market, Chrysler announced the termination of the DeSoto marque Read more…
1963
59 years ago
The Dartford-Purfleet Tunnel (now known simply as the Dartford Tunnel), linking Kent and Essex under the River Thames, was opened to road traffic Read more…
1964
58 years ago
Henri Pigozzi (66), Italian car merchant and industrialist, who established Société Industrielle de Méchanique et de Carrosserie Automobile, known as SIMCA at Nanterre, died Read more…
1979
43 years ago
Richard Petty won his record seventh series championship, a mark that would be matched in 1994 by Dale Earnhardt Read more…
1984
38 years ago
General Motors acquired the EDS Corporation, a leading data processing and telecommunications company for $2 Read more…
1987
35 years ago
A special edition 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO hardtop was sold for $1,600,000 at an automobile auction in Italy, setting a new public auction record Read more…
1990
32 years ago
Dale Earnhardt led all but the first 50 laps as he dominated the 312-mile Checker 500 at Phoenix, Arizona (US) Read more…
1993
29 years ago
Eleven died in a collision between a lorry and a school bus at Leamington Spa Read more…
1996
26 years ago
A revolutionary new Volkswagen factory opened in Resende, Brazil Read more…
1996
26 years ago
Rear Admiral Roger Lane-Nott quit the role of Formula One’s race director and safety delegate after just one season “to pursue other interests” Read more…
2002
20 years ago
1980 World Champion Alan Jones was married on Daydream Island beach Read more…
2005
17 years ago
The Ford Motor Company said it planned to eliminate 4,000 salaried jobs, 10 per cent of its North American white-collar workforce, as part of a larger restructuring plan Read more…
2005
17 years ago
Gerard Crombac (75), nicknamed Jabby, co-founder of French magazine Auto-Sport, died Read more…
2007
15 years ago
Matt Kenseth won the race, Jimmie Johnson won the championship, and Juan Pablo Montoya won the Raybestsos Rookie of the Year after the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, US Read more…
2009
13 years ago
South Korean auto giant Hyundai said it would roll out another new small car in India as it jostled with rivals for a larger slice of the fast-growing Indian market Read more…
2012
10 years ago
Two and a half years after a group of investors announced it would bring Formula One racing to Austin, Texas more than 117,000 fans packed into the just-completed Circuit of the Americas to watch the US Grand Prix Read more…
2013
9 years ago
The third generation MINI (F56) made its world debut at Plant Oxford (England) Read more…
