October 18th


On this day in…

1905

118 years ago

King Edward VII opened Kingsway and Aldwych (now on the A4200), a major road through London, England to ease congestion between Holborn and the Strand Read more…

1912

111 years ago

Thomas W Read more…

1915

108 years ago

Robert B Ward (62), founder in 1905 and President of the Ward Motor Vehicle Company, died in New Rochelle, New York Read more…

1919

104 years ago

Rolls-Royce America, Inc Read more…

1923

100 years ago

The Ministry of Transport in a letter to all county councils condemned the recent increase in roadside advertising billboards which were ‘disfiguring’ the countryside Read more…

1931

92 years ago

Thomas Edison (84), America’s greatest inventor, died in West Orange, New Jersey Read more…

1931

92 years ago

The first automobile race was held at the Oakland Speedway, California, US Read more…

1932

91 years ago

The Studebaker Corporation purchased the White Motor Company Read more…

1933

90 years ago

R Read more…

1934

89 years ago

The 1935 Buick model range were introduced Read more…

1938

85 years ago

Construction began on the Pennsylvania Turnpike (US) Read more…

1939

84 years ago

The Automotive Hall of Fame was founded in New York City by a group called the “Automobile Old Timers Read more…

1950

73 years ago

At the 1950 London Motor Show the Jaguar Mark VII saloon, specifically aimed at the US market, was presented and once again Lyons ‘stole the show’ Read more…

1950

73 years ago

The new Consul and Zephyr launched at the Olympia Motor Show were the first Fords with monocoque body/chassis construction and the first cars in the world with MacPherson Strut front suspension, now an industry standard Read more…

1951

72 years ago

The first DeSoto was produced with the Firedome V-8 engine Read more…

1955

68 years ago

Ford’s Louisville manufacturing plant in Kentucky was dedicated Read more…

1956

67 years ago

Elvis Presley (21) pulled into a Memphis gas station where he started to attract a small crowd of autograph seekers Read more…

1961

62 years ago

The Jaguar Mark X saloon was unveiled at the London Motor Show, Britain’s biggest car so far with unitary body construction Read more…

1964

59 years ago

Roger Penske drove a Chevrolet-powered Chaparral 2 to victory in the USAC-sanctioned sports car race at Laguna Seca in California Read more…

1967

56 years ago

For the first time since 1948, this year saw an increase in the normal daily admission charge to the London Motor Show at Earls Court, which was raised from 5 shillings to 7 shillings and 6 pence Read more…

1970

53 years ago

Denny Hulme drove a McLaren M8D to victory in the Laguna Seca, California, USA, Can-Am race Read more…

1977

46 years ago

Hanns Martin Schleyer, a Daimler-Benz executive and head of the West German employers’ association, was found dead in Alsace, France Read more…

1980

43 years ago

Helmut Henzler and Keke Rosberg in a prototype VW diesel-powered car at the Nardo Circuit, Italy, recorded the greatest distance covered in 1 hour by a car powered with an internal combustion engine, 219 Read more…

1982

41 years ago

The British government closed the DeLorean factory in Northern Ireland Read more…

1982

41 years ago

The first escape ramps for hedgehogs were installed in cattle grids on the A117 near Ludlow, Shropshire Read more…

1984

39 years ago

General Motors acquired the EDS Corporation for $2 Read more…

1986

37 years ago

Morgan Shepherd posted a dominant NASCAR Nationwide Series win, leading 144 of 197 laps in the Sandhills 200 at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham Read more…

1986

37 years ago

Pride of place at the British International Motor Show held at NEC went to Jaguar’s new XJ6, which had enjoyed enormous publicity even before this, its international launch Read more…

1999

24 years ago

Racer John Cannon (66) was killed in an aircraft accident when an air supply fault led to a fatal crash-landing in a cornfield in New Mexico, US Read more…

2002

21 years ago

Britain’s Worst Driver, a TV series created and hosted by ex-Top Gear host Quentin Willson, was first broadcast on Five in the United Kingdom Read more…

2006

17 years ago

TVR, the independent car manufacturer founded in Blackpool (England) in 1947, announced that it would be quitting the town for good and moving production abroad Read more…

2007

16 years ago

South African reggae star, Lucky Dube (43) was shot dead by car thieves when he was dropping his teenage son and daughter off in a Johannesburg suburb Read more…

2009

14 years ago

British driver Jenson Button and Brawn GP secured the Drivers’ Championship and Constructors’ Championship titles respectively at the Brazilian Grand Prix, the penultimate race of the season Read more…

2017

6 years ago

Royal Dutch Shell opened its first electric vehicle recharging points at three petrol stations in Britain, part of the oil giant’s efforts to respond to a global push toward zero-emission vehicles Read more…

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