On This Day

James Watt (83), the principle inventor of the modern steam engine, died at Heathfield Hall, near Birmingham, England. While working as an instrument maker at the University of Glasgow, Watt became interested in the technology of steam engines. He realised that contemporary engine designs wasted a great deal of energy by repeatedly cooling and reheating the cylinder. Continue Reading →

James Watt

A Phelps touring car driven by designer L J Phelps set the first official record (1 hour 46 minutes) for the Mount Washington hillclimb, New Hampshire, US.

Walden W. Shaw and John D. Hertz formed the Walden W. Continue Reading →

American actress Anita King, with the backing of Paramount Pictures, set out from Hollywood in her ‘Kissel Kar’ to become the first female to drive alone across the United States. The Los Angeles Times newspaper is reported to have written a story that said: ‘There will be nobody with her at any time on the trip. Her only companions will be a rifle and a six-shooter. Continue Reading →

Six-Cylinder Love, the first full-length play based on the motor car, opened at the Sam H. Harris Theatre in New York City. The play traces the Sterling family’s purchase of an expensive car. Continue Reading →

“Love and Six Cylinders” (1910), by popular illustrator Clarence F. Underwood, shows an all-American girl at the wheel of a fast car.

Lucy O'Reilly Schell finished 12th, driving a Bugatti in the Baule Grand Prix in France. She was the first, and only, American woman to drive in a Grand Prix.

Lucy O'Reilly Schell

The 8,000,000th Chevrolet was produced.

Rudolf Caracciola in a Mercedes-Benz W25/35 won the Swiss Grand Prix at Bremgarten. During practice Hanns Geier in his Mercedes lost control at 150 mph and crashed into the timekeepers' box, ending his racing career.

Start of the Swiss Grand Prix, Bremgarten, 1935. Number 30 - René Dreyfus in an Alfa Romeo

The Packard Twentieth Series was introduced.

The 100,000th Volvo car - a black PV444 - came off the assembly line at the Lundby plant, Sweden. The PV444 was Volvo's first uni-body car. Its body structure was influenced by the 1939 Hanomag 1,3 litre, which was purchased and studied by Volvo engineers. Continue Reading →

Volvo PV444.

The UK-based weekly "Autosport" magazine was first published.

The Volvo PV544 was introduced, replacing the PV444. Subtle differences from the PV444 included the introduction of a curved one-piece windshield to replace the two panes of flat glass, larger taillights, and a ribbon-type speedometer. The PV544 added a 4-speed manual transmission to replace the 3-speed unit that had been in the 444.

Volvo PV544

The 3,000,000th Volkswagen was produced.

Karl Probst (59), credited with the design of the Jeep in 1940, died. The original Jeep was created by American Bantam Car Company in Butler, Pennsylvania, designed for use by the U.S Army during World War II. Continue Reading →

First production of the Iso Grifo GL, powered by American Chevrolet Corvette small-block 327 (5.4 L) V8s fitted to Borg-Warner 4-speed manual transmissions, began. With over 400 horsepower (300 kW) and a vehicle weight of less than 2,200 pounds (1,000 kg), the Grifo was able to reach speeds over 275 km/h (171 mph).

Iso Grifo GL

New Zealand motorcycle racer, Burt Munro set an under-1,000 cc world record of 184.087mph on his beloved streamlined Indian motorcycle, at Bonneville, Utah, US. This record still stands to this very day. Continue Reading →

Burt Munro

Richard Petty rolled from the pole position and leads wire-to-wire in a 200-lap main event at Savannah (Georgia , US) Speedway, one of 27 victories that season for the NASCAR Hall of Famer. Elmo Langley finished second, five laps off the pace of Petty’s Plymouth. Tom Pistone took third, six laps down.

Virgil W Syder drove a diesel-powered streamliner called 'Thermo King-Wynns' at 235.756 mph (379.41 km/h) at theBonneville Salt Flats, Utah, US to establish a world speed record for a diesel-powered car.

Roy M Rawlins was awarded a California State Driving License at the age of 104, valid until 1978. Two months earlier he was stopped and warned by the police in Stockton, California, for driving at 95 mph in a 55 mph zone.

The Ford Escort cabriolet, the first Ford convertible manufactured in Europe in 25 years was introduced.

Ford Escort Cabriolet

Niki Lauda won the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort in a McLaren MP4/2B-TAG. The race was the 34th and last Dutch Grand Prix and the 25th and last Grand Prix victory for triple (and defending) World Champion Niki Lauda. Lauda's team mate Alain Prost was second in his McLaren MP4/2B with Brazilian racer Ayrton Senna third in his Lotus 97T.

1985 Dutch Grand Prix

All six Bugatti Royales were exhibited at the Pebble Beach (CA) Concours, the first and only time that the celebrated cars have appeared together. The Royale was designed and built by Ettore Bugatti with the sole purpose of being sold exclusively to royalty, unfortunately it was produced at the time of the onset of The Great Depression and as a result only 6 of the planned 25 cars were made, none of which were sold to royals.The Bugatti Royale used a 12. Continue Reading →

Bugatti Royale

The first Formula 3000 Birmingham Superprix race was held. The circuit was drenched by torrential downpours from the tail end of Hurricane Charley. Being laid out on public roads the circuit was bumpy, and the cars were thrown around badly. Continue Reading →

180mph action on the streets of Birmingham as Formula 3000 cars roar down Belgrave Middleway

The United States Postal Service issued a Classic Car booklet of 25c stamps in 5 different designs - 1928 Locomobile, 1929 Pierce-Arrow, 1931 Cord, 1932 Packard and 1935 Duesenberg - in Detroit, Michigan, as designed by artist Ken Dallison.

Ernie Irvan passed Dale Earnhardt in the final 50 miles and speeds to his first NASCAR Winston Cup victory in Bristol's Busch 500.

Michael Schumacher made his Formula One debut at Spa. He drove for Jordan after replacing Betrand Gachot, who had been jailed for assaulting a London taxi driver the year before. Schumacher immediately caught the world's attention by qualifying seventh, albeit 3. Continue Reading →

Michael Schumacher meeting Bernie Ecclestone

Pit lane errors by the Williams team handed the Belgian Grand Prix to Michael Schumacher and Ferrari. Jacques Villeneuve and Damon Hill had locked out the front row and although Schumacher split the pair at the start Villeneuve had the faster car. However, a third of the way into the race the throttle on Jos Verstappen's Arrows pinned wide open and he crashed at 135mph. Continue Reading →

Founder and team principal of Tyrrell Racing, Ken Tyrrell (77), passed away at his home in Surrey, England. Tyrrell cars were a mainstay of the F1 grid from 1970 to 1998, taking 23 wins before the team entry was sold to British American Tobacco for the start of the 1999 season. It went on to become BAR, then Honda and eventually relived its glory days under the Brawn name. Continue Reading →

Ken Tyrrell

Sebastian Vettel became the youngest ever F1 driver as he made his debut for BMW Sauber during Friday practice for the Turkish Grand Prix. He immediately made an impact on the sport, setting the fastest time of the day with a 1:28.091 at just 19 years and 53 days old. Continue Reading →

Sebastian Vettel - 2006