On this day in…
1897
126 years ago
Nine-year-old Stephen Kempton died, one of the first recorded traffic fatalities in Great Britain Read more…
1905
118 years ago
The Vanderbilt American Elimination Trial was held to determine the five entries for the Vanderbilt Cup from 12 American candidates Read more…
1915
108 years ago
William C Durant incorporated the Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware as a holding company with the eventual goal of allowing the new firm to purchase a controlling interest in General Motors Read more…
1915
108 years ago
The first Patterson-Greenfield was produced by C R Patterson & Sons of Greenfield, Ohio, US to the design of the founder’s son Fred Patterson, who is often cited as the first black to play football at Ohio State University, US Read more…
1921
102 years ago
The Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft presented the 6/20-hp and 10/35-hp car models with 4-cylinder super charger engines at the Berlin Automobile Show Read more…
1921
102 years ago
The Maybach W3 was unveiled at the Berlin Motor Show and immediately attracted considerable attention due to its advanced technology Read more…
1933
90 years ago
The merger of the American Highway Freight Association and the Federated Trucking Associations of America established the American Trucking Association Read more…
1933
90 years ago
A party of American geologists landed at the Persian Gulf port of Jubail in Saudi Arabia and set out on a journey into the desert Read more…
1934
89 years ago
Luigi Fagioli, won the Spanish Grand Prix at Lasarte in a Mercedes-Benz W25/34 Read more…
1938
85 years ago
The Carl F Read more…
1939
84 years ago
1940
83 years ago
The American Bantam Car Company completed the first Jeep prototype and delivered it to US government testers at Camp Holabird, Maryland, US Read more…
1951
72 years ago
Herb Thomas took the lead from pole-starter Billy Carden in the 160th lap and leads the rest of a 200-lap main event at Charlotte Speedway, North Carolina, US becoming the first driver in NASCAR’s top series to win three races in a row Read more…
1951
72 years ago
Siegfried Bettmann (87), German born bicycle, motorcycle and car manufacturer and initiator of the Triumph Motorcycle Company, died Read more…
1959
64 years ago
Production began on the 1959 Edsel Read more…
1961
62 years ago
Stirling Moss won the Gold Cup race at Oulton Park, England in a Ferguson-Climax P99, the final victory in a major race for a front-engined car Read more…
1968
55 years ago
The Triumph GT6 MkII was launched Read more…
1969
54 years ago
The Northern Star newspaper of Northern Illinois University ran a story claiming that Paul McCartney had been killed in a car crash in 1966 and had been replaced by a look-a-like Read more…
1969
54 years ago
The 1970 Dodges were introduced Read more…
1972
51 years ago
The famous Crystal Palace racing circuit in London held its final meeting, ending a 45-year racing tradition Read more…
1973
50 years ago
Confusion in Canada after the safety car is deployed Read more…
1975
48 years ago
Rene Thomas (89), winner of the 1914 Indianapolis 500 and former holder of the land speed record, died in France Read more…
1978
45 years ago
Mario Andretti drove a Penske-Cosworth to victory in the last USAC Championship Indy car race at Trenton, New Jersey, US Read more…
1979
44 years ago
The new S-class Mercedes-Benz 280 S, 280 SE, 280 SEL, 380 SE, 380 SEL, 500 SE and 500 SEL (Series 126) models and the 300 TD Turbodiesel (Series 123) were all presented at the IAA in Frankfurt am Main Read more…
1990
33 years ago
British driver Nigel Mansell took his only victory of the season in his Ferrari 641, and his last for Scuderia Ferrari at Portugeuse Grand Prix Read more…
2005
18 years ago
23 elderly people died when their bus suddenly exploded as they fled Hurricane Rita near Wilmer, Texas Read more…
2006
17 years ago
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill to crack down on illegal street racing and another to allow motorists who lost their car keys to get a replacement from a locksmith rather than just the car dealer Read more…
2008
15 years ago
NASCAR announced a new random drug-testing policy Read more…
2008
15 years ago
Chrysler LLC disclosed that it had lost $400 million so far this year just hours after it unveiled prototypes of 3 new electric cars Read more…
2009
14 years ago
It was reported that solar power company SolarCity and Dutch Bank RaboBank had teamed together to build 5 recharging stations along Highway 101, between the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles, to support the new Tesla electric cars Read more…
2018
5 years ago
Sports car maker Porsche said it would become the first German auto giant to abandon the diesel engine, reacting to parent company Volkswagen’s emissions cheating scandal and urban driving bans Read more…
