On this day in…
1916
108 years ago
The Henry Ford Trade School officially opened in Highfield Park, Michigan, US Read more…
1922
102 years ago
On the opening day of the seventh Paris Motor Show, an aircraft flew over the city, writing Citroën’s name in letters 3-miles long as the Citroën 5HP was presented Read more…
1924
100 years ago
The Montlhery Track, Paris, financed by M Lamblin, proprietor of L’Aero Sports and owner of the Lamblin radiator manufacturing company, was officially opened Read more…
1928
96 years ago
The Checker Model K was introduced Read more…
1928
96 years ago
The Mercedes-Benz 18/80-hp Nürburg 460 model, the first Mercedes-Benz car with a straight 8-cylinder engine, was presented at the Paris Motor Show Read more…
1930
94 years ago
The 500 Miles Race at Brooklands was won by Sammy Davis & The Earl of March driving an Austin Read more…
1933
91 years ago
Charles Thompson (63), a co-founder of the Cleveland Cap and Screw Com in 1901 and developer of an improved process for manufacturing automobile engine valves that led to his company being purchased by the Winton Motor Carriage Coo, died in Cleveland, Ohio, US Read more…
1934
90 years ago
The Citroen 22CV, a vehicle with a V8 3,822 cm3 engine developing 100 bhp, was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show Read more…
1937
87 years ago
Legendary blues singer Bessie Smith was buried near Philadelphia, US Read more…
1945
79 years ago
The first post World War II Pontiac was officially produced, although production records indicate that the actual production had begun on 13 September Read more…
1946
78 years ago
American automobile racer, Barney Oldfield (68), the first man to drive a car at 60 miles per hour (96 km/h) on an oval, died Read more…
1951
73 years ago
The first Willys Aero was produced Read more…
1953
71 years ago
Herb Thomas dominated from the pole position, leading all 200 laps in a Fabulous Hudson Hornet at Wilson (North Carolina, US) Speedway’s half-mile dirt track Read more…
1955
69 years ago
The completed Bugatti Type 251 race car made its first test run at the aerodrome in Entzheim, France, with Pierre Marco at the wheel Read more…
1955
69 years ago
The Ford Continental Mark II was introduced Read more…
1961
63 years ago
Deutz AG of Germany acquired a license to build diesel engines using the Wankel rotary engine theories Read more…
1962
62 years ago
Studebaker announced a two-year, 24,000 mile warranty on its 1963 lines Read more…
1964
60 years ago
Graham Hill’s second of three successive win in the US Grand Prix came on this day in front of a crowd of more than 100,000 at Watkins Glen Read more…
1970
54 years ago
Emerson Fittipaldi’s win at the US Grand Prix ensured that Jochen Rindt, who had been killed at Monza the previous month, could not be overtaken in the drivers’ championship and so because the sport’s one and only posthumous champion Read more…
1970
54 years ago
Jochem Rindt (28), who tragically died the previous month during practice for the Italian Grand Prix when his Lotus 72 went out of control and hit the Armco barrier head on, was posthumously awarded the World Drivers Championship crown Read more…
1973
51 years ago
General Motors premiered the stunning mid-engined Corvette four-rotor and two rotor prototypes at the Paris Motor Show Read more…
1983
41 years ago
After nearly 20 years of domination by Americans, Briton Richard Noble raced to a new one-mile land-speed record in his jet-powered Thrust 2 vehicle Read more…
1990
34 years ago
The Mercedes 500E (W124) was formally presented at the Paris Motor Show Read more…
1992
32 years ago
The 1967 World Drivers Champion, Denny Hulme (56) died at the Bathurst 1000, held at the famous Mount Panorama track in Australia Read more…
1997
27 years ago
It was reported that French authorities had banned 20% of all cars from the streets of Paris for one day due to smog Read more…
1998
26 years ago
Australian motorcycle racer Mick Doohan won the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island to clinch his 5th world 500cc championship; all 5 titles were won with Honda Read more…
2000
24 years ago
The final section of the M60 Manchester outer ring road, from Denton to Middleton, opened Read more…
2000
24 years ago
After 41 years the Rover Mini finally ended production Read more…
2007
17 years ago
An Extraordinary Shareholders’ Meeting of DaimlerChrysler AG (stock exchange abbreviation: DAI) approved the renaming of the company as Daimler AG by a 98 Read more…
2009
15 years ago
Sebastian Vettel took a dominant victory in the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, keeping his title hopes alive after leaders Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button finished well down the order in seventh and eighth Read more…
2010
14 years ago
The VW Passat Bluemotion broke the Guinness World Record by covering 1,531 miles – the distance from London to Malaga in Spain – without stopping to refuel Read more…
