On This Day

American inventor Philip W. Pratt demonstrated the first electric automobile in Boston, a tricycle powered by six Electrical Accumulator Company cells. It weighed 90 pounds (41 kilograms). Continue Reading →

The first of the classic Italian Susa-Mont Cenis hillclimb meeting was held, over a timed 16.8 mile course. Vincenzo Lancia (Fiat) won the event at an average of about 27.5 mph.

Dr. Herbert Hills of Flint, Michigan, purchased the first Buick car, the Model B, ever to be sold. The Model B Buick was powered by an inline two-cylinder engine with valve in head, cast-iron block, a float feed carburetor, and a displacement size of 159 cubic-inches. Continue Reading →

1904 Buick Model B

The fifth Glidden Tour ended in Saratoga Springs, New York and was won by E A Renting in a Pierce-Arrow.

Motorists posing in Garford automobiles at Buffalo, New York, 1908 Glidden Tour

Ford introduced its first truck, the Model TT, available for just $600, the most radically different Ford Model T variant ever produced. While it used the same 20 hp engine and transmission, it's chassis was 25 inches longer than the standard Model T, and was beefier, too. TTs had a different rear end, with worm gears and lower ratios, to enable the classic Ford Model T motor to move a ton of freight. Continue Reading →

Ford Model TT truck

The first Lewes Speed Trial (England) took place on "a private road near Lewes". The event was organised by the Brighton & Hove Motor Cycle and Light Car Club, on a quarter-mile course. Fastest time of the day was set by J. Continue Reading →

The ‘last’ 4-cylinder Dodge was produced, at least until the introduction of the sub-compact Omni in 1978.

After 134 days a Citroën 8CV driven by Petite Rosalie at Montlhéry race track completed 300,000 kilometres at the Montlhéry race track, at the average speed of 58 mph (93 km/h). At that time, it was the world record of the greatest distance achieved and the longest running time for a car.

Hupmobile and Graham acquired the dies, jigs, fixtures and other assets of the bankrupt Auburn Automobile Company, including spare body, fender and frame stampings for the Cord 810/812 that would be used to produce the Hupmobile Skylark and the Graham Hollywood.

Alfred James Dobbs (73), British Labour Party politician and trade unionist was killed in a car accident. Attempting to avoid a child, Dobbs' car was in collision with a military vehicle in Doncaster, and he was killed instantly. His passenger, Mrs. Continue Reading →

Charles Van Acker drove the Offenhauser-powered Tucker Partner Special to victory in the AAA Championship race in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US.

(Joel) Woolf Barnato (53), winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1928, 1929 and 1930 in his only three entries in the race, and Director of both Bentley Motors Ltd and Bentley Motors (1931) Ltd, died following a medical operation.

Woolf Barnato

The 5,000,000th Oldsmobile was produced, a Holiday 4-door hardtop.

The 500 cc class record was broken three times in successive runs by Les Leston in a Cooper-Norton at Prescott hillclimb. This was not only Leston’s first appearance at Prescott; it was the first time he has competed in a hillclimb. The runner-up was Stirling Moss driving a Kieft.

The 5,000,000th Oldsmobile was produced, a Holiday 4-door hardtop.

Studebaker-Packard Corporation, seeking cash, entered a joint management agreement with Curtiss-Wright Corporation, who agreed to fund the cash-short corporation. Shortly thereafter, James Nance resigned as chief executive officer.

Fan's of rock & roll music were warned that tuning into music on the car radio could cost you more money. Researchers from the Esso oil company said the rhythm of rock & roll could cause the driver to be foot heavy on the pedal, making them waste fuel.

Mario Andretti entered his first road race. He won the race at Lime Rock, Connecticut, USA, driving a front-engined midget. Mark Donohue is second in a rear-engined midget.

The A1 Newark bypass was opened in by Ernest Marples,. The southern terminus was indicated on some maps of the day as being the current roundabout on the B6326 London Road, reverting to the old single carriageway to the county boundary, about where the current B6326 joins the current A1.

Moises Solana (33) died when his McLaren M6B crashed during the hillclimb at Valle de Bravo-Bosencheve in Mexico.

Moises Solana

Richard Petty outran David Pearson for a one-car-length win at Smoky Mountain Raceway in Maryville (Tennessee. US). Petty led 127 of 200 laps on the half-mile asphalt track, where he won six times in his career. Continue Reading →

Denny Hulme drove his McLaren M8B to victory in the Can-Am race in Edmonton, Canada. Chris Amon in a Ferrari 612 was second. This was the best ever Can-Am finish for Ferrari.

Benson Ford (59) died, suffering a heart attack while aboard his cruiser Onikaon Lake Huron off the coast of Cheboygan, Michigan, US.

Benson Ford

A 1971 Liberty Class B military truck was donated to the Smithsonian Institution by Paul W Mowrey of Edina, Minnesota, US.

Nelson Piquet in a Williams-Honda FW11 won the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim. Alain Prost's car ran out of fuel on the finishing straight of the last lap. Instead of retiring, Prost got out of his car and tried to push it to the finish, to great applause from the crowd. Continue Reading →

Start of the 1986 German Grand Prix, Hockenheim

Freeway shooting incidents were the talk of Los Angeles. Since June 18th there had been nine incidents involving vehicles and guns. Two motorists were actually shot to death and four others were injured. Continue Reading →

The Musee National de l'Automobile in Mulhouse, France unveiled the 'seventh' Bugatti Royale, a recreation of the Armand Esders roadster mounted on a chassis made largely from spare parts.

Chassis no.41100, known as the Coupé Napoleon, at home in the Musée National de l'Automobile de Mulhouse

At 4:00 pm the last Citroen 2CV rolled off the production line at the company’s plant in Mangualde, Portugal. Since its debut in 1948, a total of 5,114,959 2CVs had been produced worldwide. It was conceived by Citroën Vice-President Pierre Boulanger to help motorize the large number of farmers still using horses and carts in France. Continue Reading →

Last 2CV comes off the assembly line in Portugal

Contested over 45 laps, the German Grand Prix was won by Gerhard Berger for the Benetton team, from a pole position start. Michael Schumacher finished second in a Ferrari, with Mika Häkkinen third for the McLaren team.

Blackpool-based sports car company TVR was sold to a 24-year-old Russian investor. Former banker Nikolay Smolensky stated he wanted to expand the firm, which employed 400 people at its site in Bispham, Lancashire.

TVR Cerbera

German sports and luxury carmaker Porsche announced the investment of 1bn euros (£691m; $1.2bn) for the development of a four-door coupe (Panamera) that would be on the roads by 2009.

Porsche Panamera

The Car of Tomorrow was used for the first time at Indianapolis. The Goodyear tires suffered bad wear patterns, causing blowouts in some cases after only 8-10 laps of green-flag racing. After several blowouts and crashes early in the race, NASCAR mandated lengthy competition cautions at roughly 10-lap intervals for teams to change tires. Continue Reading →

NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow - 2008

In Malaysia a car crash involving a faulty air bag killed a pregnant woman. On Nov 14 Ford Motor Co. agreed to recall more 2004 and 2005 Ranger small pickup trucks in response to the crash, because their air bags are similar to the one that caused the woman's death.