On this day in…
1900
123 years ago
The Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland sponsored an electric car endurance trial that began 3 days earlier ended Read more…
1908
115 years ago
The first Cactus Derby, a 511 mile desert road race from Los Angeles, California to Phoenix, Arizona (US) began and was won by F C Fenner and H D Ryus driving a White steamer Read more…
1932
91 years ago
The Pierce-Arrow V12 was introduced Read more…
1935
88 years ago
Chancellor of the Exchequer Neville Chamberlain announced plans to spend £100 million on British roads in the next 5 years Read more…
1937
86 years ago
Waldo D Waterman was issued in a United States patent for his Arrowbile, a combination automobile/airplane Read more…
1938
85 years ago
Goldie Gardner driving the MG EX135 on the Dessau (German) Autobahn set a Class G record for the mile (187 Read more…
1941
82 years ago
At 3am drivers in Budapest switched to driving on the right Read more…
1955
68 years ago
The 1956 Ford Thunderbirds were introduced Read more…
1958
65 years ago
Bob Welborn, the king of NASCAR’s Convertible Division, claimed one of his nine hardtop victories, outrunning Glen Wood at Champion Speedway in Fayetteville, North Carolina (US) Read more…
1960
63 years ago
Robert McNamara was appointed President of the Ford Motor Company Read more…
1960
63 years ago
The 4 millionth Volkswagen was produced Read more…
1960
63 years ago
The world’s first ‘Hover Scooter’ – a combination of a hovercraft and a scooter – was demonstrated on land and water in Long Ditton, Surrey, UK Read more…
1962
61 years ago
Fire destroyed the Albert Khan designed Ford Rotunda, originally built for the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, which opened in May of 1933 and ran for two years Read more…
1965
58 years ago
Red Line 7000, an action film about young Daytona stock car drivers and the women who loved them, was released in the US Read more…
1966
57 years ago
Rootes introduced the £838 Hillman Hunter Read more…
1968
55 years ago
The Springbok Championship Series Rand Daily Mail 9 Hours race at Kyamlami, South Africa was won by Jackie Ickx and David Hobbs in the Gulf Mirage M1 Read more…
1969
54 years ago
New Zealander Bruce McLaren drove his McLaren M8B-Chevrolet to victory in the final Can-Am race of the year, in College Station, Texas, to clinch the Drivers Championship Read more…
1972
51 years ago
Arturo Mezario and Clay Reggazzoni drove a Ferrari 312PB to victory in the 9 hour endurance race at Kyalami, South Africa Read more…
1986
37 years ago
Bobby Rahal won his first national auto racing driving title Read more…
1989
34 years ago
East German citizens were allowed to buy western cars Read more…
1999
24 years ago
Ford announced plans to cease production at its assembly plant at Plonsk, Poland, as part of an ongoing restructuring of Ford’s European manufacturing operations Read more…
1999
24 years ago
Claude Ballot-Lena (63) died from cancer Read more…
2003
20 years ago
In California Shirley Muldowney (63), 3-time Top Fuel champion, ended her 30-year racing career with a loss in the 2nd round of the Auto Club NHRA Finals at Pomona Raceway Read more…
2003
20 years ago
With a fourth-place finish in the Pop Secret 400 at Rockingham’s North Carolina Speedway, Matt Kenseth wrapped up his first NASCAR Winston Cup Championship Read more…
2007
16 years ago
Honda produced its one millionth Swindon-built Civic, a red Type-R destined for the British market Read more…
2008
15 years ago
TV network ABC cut away from the last 22 laps of the Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix, Texas (US) and moved it to a cable channel, forcing many to miss the end of the race Read more…
2008
15 years ago
The fallout from the Max Mosley libel case continued with Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre claiming the “arrogant and amoral” judgments of Mr Justice Eady were “inexorably and insidiously” imposing a privacy law on the British press Read more…
2009
14 years ago
General Motors said that it would invest C$90 million ($85 Read more…
2011
12 years ago
Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp Read more…
