On This Day

The organisational meeting of the American Motor Car Manufacturers Association was held at the Ford Motor Company with Ford executive James Couzens presiding. The 23 charter member companies were opponents of the Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers and the Selden patent.

A total of eight Detroit businessmen formed the Hudson Motor Car Company to produce an automobile which would sell for less than US$1,000. One of the chief "car men" and organiser of the company was Roy D. Chapin, Sr. Continue Reading →

Hudson Motor Car Company

Herbert M Dawley of Pierce-Arrow was issued with a US patent for his fender-mounted headlights that would become the marque’s signature styling feature.

Harlan Fengler won the 250 mile season opening AAA Championship race on the 1.25 mile high banked board Los Angeles Motor Speedway. Fengler averaged 116.6 mph in his Miller. It was the 2nd and final Championship race win for Fengler, who later served many years as chief steward for the Indianapolis 500.

Harlan Fengler

Malcolm Campbell driving the Napier Railton Blue Bird established a new World Land Speed Record (253.96 mph) at Daytona, Florida, US. He broke nine land speed records in his lifetime. In 1924 he set his first record at 146.16mph but his final record in Utah in 1935 gave him the honour of being the first to drive over 300 mph with an average speed of 301.337 mph.

Napier Railton Blue Bird

Over 70 roads were not passable as the big freeze continued in Britain with many essential including food and medical supplies in short supply. The RAF dropped food and medical supplies in the worst affected areas as well as tons of hay over the Scottish Highlands as sheep starved in the massive snowdrifts that had built up.

It was revealed that the Austin Motor Export Corporation had achieved a new success in the battle for world export markets. Agreements were concluded to enable Austin cars and light commercials to be assembled in the Philippines. This important dollar market had been virtually closed for several years owing to tariffs that made sale of built-up units prohibitive.

The Studebaker-Packard Corporation Board of Directors, without an official vote, accepted Chairman Harold E Churchill’s proposal to terminate the Packard marque and direct the anticipated savings toward production of the Studebaker Lark.

The second Cuban Grand Prix (which was run under sportscar regulations) was held on the famous Malecon Avenue, which runs along the waterfront in Havana. Juan Manuel Fangio had been kidnapped by Fidel Castro's guerrillas and missed the race. The event attracted a crowd estimated at 200,000 people. Continue Reading →

The start of the 1958 Cuban Grand Prix.

Bruce Homeyer won the ATQMRA TQ Midget race at the Teaneck Armory, Teaneck, New Jersey, US. King Carpenter finished second followed by Frank Pelosa, Lou Fray, Bobby Albert, Len Duncan, Al De Angelo, Jerry Wall, George Cousin, Bruno Brackey, Pete Mourad and Jack Duffy.

"Tiny" Lund drove the Wood Brothers Ford to a storybook win in the 'Daytona 500'. Lund was filling in for regular driver Marvin Panch, who was injured 10 days earlier in a firey crash while practicing for the Daytona Sports Car race. From his hospital bed, Panch asked Glen & Leonard Wood to let Lund drive his car in the 500. Continue Reading →

LeeRoy Yarbrough and Fred Lorenzen won the twin 100 mile NASCAR GN qualifying races at Daytona International Speedway.

American Motors introduced the AMX as a mid-year model. The AMX name originates from the "American Motors eXperimental" code used on a concept vehicle and then on two prototypes shown on the company's "Project IV" automobile show tour in 1966.The AMX was also classified as a muscle car, but "unique among other American cars at the time due its short wheelbase". Continue Reading →

AMC AMX 1968

Two breeds of AMC Gremlin appeared in the 1973 Chicago Auto Show, including one fitted with the new "Levi's" interior. The Levi's edition featured seats and door panels in blue spun nylon, with copper rivets to resemble the familiar blue jeans. Nothing else at that year's show looked anything like the Citroen SM-Maserati, blending the French company's air-oil suspension with a Maserati V-6 engine. Continue Reading →

Bobby Allison won the 'Richmond 500' NASCAR GN race, 4 seconds ahead of Richard Petty's Dodge. Allison's win broke Petty's 7 race win streak on the .542 mile paved Fairgrounds Raceway oval.

Visitors to the Chicago Auto Show brought glimpsed the new AMC Spirit, the redesigned Ford Mustang, and the first viewing of the Toyota Celica Supra. A number of concept cars were on hand as well, including the Mercury XM, and Ford's Fiesta Tuareg off-roader and Megastar II. Visitors to the Chrysler-Plymouth display at the 71st Chicago Auto Show could sign up for a chance to win "Tattoo's Fantasy Wagon," from the Fantasy Island TV show.

Darrell Waltrip drove the DiGard Chevy to victory in the 'Richmond 400' NASCAR GN race. Waltrip took the lead from Richard Petty with 19 laps to go and crossed the stripe 1.2 seconds ahead of Bobby Allison in the Bud Moore Ford.

The Peugeot 205 was launched. Shortly after, the similar sized Fiat Uno narrowly pipped it to the European Car of the Year award, but ultimately (according to the award organisers) it would enjoy a better image and a longer high market demand than its Italian competitor.

Peugeot 205

Dale Earnhardt passed Tim Richmond with 14 laps remaining and then held off Geoff Bodine to win the 400 lap NASCAR GN race at Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway. Bodine's Hendrick Chevy finished 3 tenths of a second behind Earnhardt's RCR Chevy.

General Motors announced a 1991 loss of £7.2 billion – a world record.

The official report into the accident which killed Ayrton Senna at Imola in 1994 was made public. The Italian magistrate Maurizio Passarini released a report 500 pages long and concluded that the crash was most likely the result of a steering failure on the car. The definitive reason for the crash is still debated today and the court case rumbled on through the mid-1990s until all Williams staff involved were acquitted.

Triumph announced their return to motorcycle racing after more than 25 years.

Nearly one third (30%) of all young drivers have driven without insurance and 13% think it is acceptable to drive without insurance because ‘it doesn’t harm anyone’, according to a RAC Foundation and Max Power survey.

In a bizarre request by the Indian government, Narain Karthikeyan was told to change the colours of his helmet ahead of his debut season in F1. The government claimed his helmet, which was in the colours of the Indian flag, contravened the Flag Code of India that dictates that the Indian tricolour must not be used on costumes or embroidered on cushions, handkerchiefs or dress materials. Karthikeyan was baffled by the news: "If that is what the government wants, it is their loss. Continue Reading →

The MINI was introduced in Korea.

Four years after its debut, the second generation Porsche Cayenne went on sale. The Cayenne S now featured a larger 4.8 litre, naturally-aspirated V8 engine. Continue Reading →

Second generation Porsche Cayenne

The second-generation Honda Insight, billed as "the world's first affordable hybrid," went on sale in the United States. The Insight, a five-door hatchback, carried a price tag of just under $20,000. In 1999, a three-door hatchback version of the Insight became the first-ever gas-electric hybrid vehicle sold in the U. Continue Reading →

Honda Insight