Automobile Chronology

First London bus runs.

Ref: 10

1842

The first wire suspension bridge was opened to traffic -- in Fairmount, PA.

Ref: 4

1852

Henry and Clement Studebaker found H. & C. Studebaker, a blacksmith and wagon building business, in South Bend, Indiana.

Ref: 3

1862

May 16

Jean Joseph Etienne Lenoir builds first automobile.

Ref: 5

1868

World's first traffic lights go into service in Parliament Square, London invented by J.P.Knight.

Ref: 10

1869

World's first (gas) traffic light in Parliament Square, London explodes, injuring constable moving it.

Ref: 10

1879

May 08

George Selden of Rochester, NY files for first patent for a gasoline-driven automobile

Ref: 2

1885

Sep 05

Jake Gumper of Ft. Wayne, IN buys the first gasoline pump produced in the United States.

Ref: 4

Nov 10

Paul Daimler, son of Gottleib Daimler, becomes the first motorcyclist when he rides his father's new invention on a round trip of six miles.

Ref: 2

1886

Jan 26

Karl Benz patents first auto with burning motor.

Ref: 5

Jan 29

Karl Benz receives a patent for a crude gas-fueled car in Mannhelm, Germany. Ref

1888

Jul 27

First electric car demonstrated in Boston by inventor Philip W. Pratt; tricycle runs on batteries.

Ref: 10

Bertha, wife of inventor Karl Benz, makes first motor tour.

Ref: 5

1889

Nov 27

Curtis P. Brady was issued the first permit to drive an automobile through Central Park in NY City. Mr. Brady had to pledge to NY’s finest that he would not frighten the horses in the park.

Ref: 4

1892

Apr 19

The prototype of the first commercially successful American automobile was completed in Springfield, Mass., by Charles E. Duryea and his brother Frank.

Ref: 70

1893

Feb 23

Rudolf Diesel receives a German patent for the diesel engine.

Ref: 3

Jun 04

Henry Ford and several associates complete assembly of first Ford car in garage in Detroit at 2 a.m.

Ref: 10

Aug 10

Prototype of the first diesel compression ignition engine tested by Dr. Rudolf Diesel in Augsburg.

Ref: 10

Aug 14

France issues first driving licenses, included required test.

Ref: 5

Sep 21

Frank Duryea drives first US made gas propelled vehicle (car).

Ref: 5

Sep 22

Bicycle makers Charles and Frank Duryea show off the first American automobile produced for sale to the public by taking it on a maiden run through the streets of Springfield, Massachusetts.

Ref: 2

Dec 05

First electric car (built in Toronto) could go 15 miles between charges.

Ref: 5

Dec 24

Henry Ford completes his first useful gas motor.

Ref: 5

1894

Elwood Haynes successfully tests one of first US autos at 6 MPH.

Ref: 5

Jul 22

The first automobile race occurs between Paris and Rouen, France.

Ref: 2

1895

Jun 11

Charles E. Duryea receives the first US patent granted to an American inventor for a gasoline-driven automobile.

Ref: 2

Jun 11

World's first car race begins (Paris to Bordeaux and back, 732 miles); Emile Levassor-France wins.

Ref: 5

Jun 13

Emile Levassor wins first Paris-Bordeaux-Paris auto race (24 kph).

Ref: 5

Sep 21

First auto manufacturer opens: Duryea Motor Wagon Company in Springfield MA.

Ref: 5

The first automobile club in the United States, the American Motor League, holds its preliminary meeting in Chicago, Illinois, with sixty members.

Ref: 3

1st magazine devoted to the motor vehicle ("The Horseless Age") was published.

Ref: 51

Nov 28

The first automobile race in America began, as six cars traveled from Jackson Park in Chicago to Waukegan, IL. J. Frank Dureyea was the winner, traveling at a blazing speed of 7 and 1/2 miles per hour! It took him 7 hrs. 53 minutes to make the trek, averaging 7 MPH. He won $2,000 for the effort.

Ref: 4

1896

First fine for speeding in motorcar in England as motorist fined for exceeding 2 mph limit in town.

Ref: 10

Mar 06

Charles B. King tested his automobile on the streets of Detroit, Michigan, becoming the first man to drive a car in the Motor City.

Ref: 3

May 09

First horseless carriage show in London (featured 10 models).

Ref: 5

May 19

First auto (Benz) to arrive in Netherlands.

Ref: 5

The first documented auto accident occurred -- in New York City. A Duryea Motor Wagon, driven by Henry Wells from Springfield, MA collided with a bicycle ridden by Evylyn Thomas of NYC.

Ref: 4

Jun 04

"Crazy Henry" Ford drives his first automobile, built in his shed behind his house. Ref

Light Locomotives Act passes in London; motor cars freed from 4 miles per hour speed limit.

Ref: 70

Sep 07

A.H. Whiting wins the first automobile race held on a racetrack. A crowd of 40,000 people watched Whiting tear around the track at 24 miles per hour in Cranston, RI.

Ref: 5

Dec 31

25th auto built in US.

Ref: 5

1897

The final stage of the Marseille-Nice automobile race posed an unusual challenge: a steep slope that motorists had to climb at speed. It was the first speed hillclimb in auto-racing history. The uphill dash was won by M. Pary in a steam-powered DeDion-Bouton automobile.

Ref: 3

George Smith’s swerving was enough to alarm British police and make him the first person arrested for drunken driving.

Ref: 10

Nov 29

World's first motorcycle race held in Richmond, Surrey, England; Charles Jarrott wins.

Ref: 10

1898

Feb 01

The Travelers Insurance Company of Hartford, CT issued the very first automobile insurance policy on this day to Dr. Truman Martin of Buffalo, NY.

Ref: 4

Mar 24

First US automobile sold.

Ref: 5

Jul 30

Scientific America carried the first magazine automobile ad. The Winton Motor Car Company of Cleveland, OH invited readers to “Dispense with a Horse.”

Ref: 4

Automobile speed record set-63 kph (39 mph).

Ref: 5

1899

Jan 03

An editorial in the New York Times makes a reference to an "automobile". It was the first known use of the word.

Ref: 3

Jan 17

Camille Jenatzy captured the land speed record in an electric car of his own design: 41.425 miles per hour at Acheres Park, France. On the same day, however, previous record holder Gaston Chasseloup-Laubat raised the record again, posting a speed of 43.690 miles per hour in an electric Jeantaud automobile.

Ref: 3

May 20

Jacob German of New York City became the first driver to be arrested for speeding. Mr. German was whipping his taxicab all over Lexington Avenue and being a pain in the neck by going over the posted 12 mile-per-hour speed limit!

Ref: 4

W. T. McCullough of Boston, MA opened the first public garage. One could rent space for selling, storing and repairing vehicles.

Ref: 4

Jul 29

First motorcycle race, Manhattan Beach, NY.

Ref: 5

A Stanley Steamer, driven by F.O. Stanley, became the first car to reach the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire.

Sep 13

Henry M. Bliss became the first known American automobile fatality. As Mr. Bliss stepped off a streetcar at Central Park West and 74th Street in New York City, he was hit by a car driven by Arthur Smith. Bliss was rushed to the hospital but died a short time later. Smith was arrested, but was not held.

Ref: 39

Oct 09

World's first bus with a petrol-driven motor runs in London.

Ref: 10

1900

Mar 28

The British Royal family receives its fist motor car, a Daimler Mail Phaeton.

Ref: 3

Mar 31

The W.E. Roach Company is the first automobile company to advertise in a national magazine.

Ref: 4

Apr 15

An early 50 mile race is won by an electric car in over 2 hrs.

Ref: 5

Nov 03

The first National Automobile Show opens in Madison Square Garden in New York City. A total of 31 car makers put their autoware on display.

Ref: 4

Nov 24

The first gasoline-powered Pierce automobile is taken on a test drive through the streets of Buffalo, New York.

Ref: 3

Mercedes makes its debut. A new 35-horsepower car built by Daimler from a design by Emil Jellinek was completed. The car was named for Jellinek's daughter, Mercedes.

Ref: 3

1901

Jan 10

The Automobile Club of America installs signs on major highways.

Ref: 2

Apr 25

New York became the first state to require automobile license plates; the fee was $1.

Ref: 70

May 21

Connecticut enacts first speed limit law-12 miles per hour in country, 8 in city.

Ref: 10

Aug 09

The first automobile rally race is held in Ireland, sponsored by the Irish Automobile Club. Twelve automobiles attempted an organized journey from Dublin to Waterford.

Charles A. Yont and W.B. Felker complete the first automobile trip to the 14,110 ft summit of Pikes Peak, Colorado, driving an 1899 locomobile steamer.

Cadillac car company founded in Detroit;named after 18th C. explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac.

Ref: 10

Sep 09

The first long-distance car race began in New York City on this day, ending five days and 464 miles later in Buffalo, New York. David Bishop’s winning Panhard only averaged a speed of 15 miles per hour, but it managed to make the entire journey without breaking down – a remarkable feat.

Sep 30

Compulsory car registration for all vehicles driving over 18 mph took effect throughout France.

Nov 16

Three autos race on Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn, fastest speed achieved by Henry Fournier who drives a mile in 51 4/5 seconds.

Ref: 5

1902

Mar 04

The American Automobile Association (AAA) is founded in Chicago from nine smaller auto clubs the around country.

Ref: 5

First motorcycle race in America from Boston to New York.

Ref: 10

International Harvester opens for business.

President Theodore Roosevelt became the first US chief executive to ride in an automobile, in Hartford, Connecticut.

Ref: 70

Oct 17

First sleek ‘Runabout' Cadillac car shipped from Detroit to dealer in Buffalo NY.

Ref: 10

Oct 25

The 23-year-old Barney Oldfield made his racing debut at the Manufacturer's Challenge Cup in Grosse Point in a Ford-built racer named the 999. Oldfield and the 999 won.

Ref: 3

1903

May 16

First transcontinental motorcycle trip begins at San Fransisco (George Wymann).

Ref: 5

May 23

First automobile trip across US from San Fransisco to NY, ended April 1.

Ref: 5

The first American motorcycle hill climb was held -- in Riverdale, NY.

Ref: 4

Jun 16

Ford Motor Company organized, with John S. Gray as President and Henry Ford as Vice President.

Ref: 74

Jun 18

First transcontinental auto trip begins in SF; arrives NY 3-mo later.

Ref: 5

Jul 06

George Wyman arrives in NYC by motorcycle 51 days out of SF.

Ref: 5

Jul 23

Ford Motor Company of Detroit sells its first car a 2 cylinder Model A.

Ref: 2

Aug 01

First coast-to-coast automobile trip (SF-NY) completed.

Ref: 5

Aug 21

Model F. Packard arrives in N.Y. after 52 days on road from S.F. First transcontinental auto race.

Ref: 10

The first automobile trip from San Francisco to NY City was completed. A Packard made the trip in 52 days.

Ref: 4

Sep 07

Federation of American Motorcyclists organized in NY.

Ref: 5

1904

Jan 12

Racing driver Barney Oldfield set a new speed record in a stripped-down Ford automobile. Driving across the frozen surface of Lake St. Clair, he reached a top speed of 91.37 miles per hour.

Ref: 3

Apr 01

Henry Royce tests his first Rolls Royce.

Ref: 10

Jul 21

Camille Jenatzy sets world auto speed record at 65.79 MPH.

Ref: 5

Jul 22

First gasoline driven Studebaker car manufactured in South Bend IN.

Ref: 10

Aug 27

(or 28th) The first jail sentence in the U.S. for auto speeding is handed down in Newport, Rhode Island.

Oct 08

(Long Island) First Vanderbilt Cup auto race (Hicksville, Long Island, NY).

Ref: 5

Nov 21

Motorized omnibuses replace horse-drawn cars in Paris.

Ref: 2

1905

1st auto to exceed 100 mph (161 kph), A G MacDonald, Daytona Beach.

Ref: 5

Aug 18

Newell S. Wright, an attorney, filed to register the Cadillac crest as a trademark.

1906

Dutch law makes driver's license mandatory.

Ref: 5

Jan 13

The first automobile show of the American Motor Car Manufactureres Association (AMCMA) opens in New York City at the 69th Regiment Armory.

Ref: 3

Jan 26

American driver Fred Marriott set a new land speed record of 127.659 miles per hour in his steam-powered "Wogglebug" at Ormond Beach, Florida. It was the last time that a steam-powered vehicle would claim a new land speed record.

Ref: 3

Mar 15

Rolls-Royce Ltd. is officially registered with Charles S. Rolls and F. Henry Royce as directors.

Ref: 74

May 21

Louis H. Perlman of NY City received his patent for the demountable tire-carrying rim -- similar to the ones we use on our cars, only wider.

Ref: 4

Nov 20

Rolls Royce motor company formed by Charles Stewart Rolls and Frederick Henry Royce.

Ref: 10

1907

Jan 21

First taxi cabs hit the cobblestones in Britain.

Ref: 10

Jan 24

In Ormond Beach, Florida, Glenn Curtiss, an engineer who got his start building motors for bicycles, set an unofficial land-speed record on a self-built V-8 motorcycle on this day: 136.29 MPH. No automobile would surpass that speed until 1911.

Ref: 3

Feb 22

First cabs with taxi meters begin operating in London.

Ref: 5

First Auto-Cycle Union Tourist Trophy.

Ref: 5

Aug 10

Prince Borghese of Italy wins the 8000 mile, 62-day, Peking-to-Paris auto race. Driving like a madman across Asia and Europe, the prince encountered brush fire, got stuck in a swamp, and was pulled over by a policeman in Belgium. The policeman refused to believe that the prince was racing, rather than merely speeding.

Ref: 5

Aug 13

The first taxicab took to the streets of New York City.

Ref: 4

1908

Feb 12

The now famous, New York-to-Paris automobile race began via Seattle and Yokohama, Japan. The race started at Times Square in New York City. Six automobiles were entered in the race. George Schuster got the checkered flag after 170 days. He spent 88 of them actually driving.

Ref: 4

Feb 25

First tunnel under the Hudson River (railway tunnel) opens.

Ref: 5

Mar 07

Cincinnati’s mayor, Mark Breith stood before the city council and announced, “Women are not physically fit to operate automobiles.”

Ref: 4

Mar 28

Automobile owners lobby Congress, supporting a bill that calls for vehicle licensing and federal registration.

Ref: 2

Apr 24

Mr & Mrs Jacob Murdock become the first to travel across the US by car, they leave LA in a Packard & arrive in NYC in 32d-5h-25m.

Ref: 5

Jul 30

Around the World Autombile Race ends in Paris.

Ref: 5

First Model T made available to the public.

Ref: 74

General Motors was founded on this day. The man responsible for the beginning of the huge auto-manufacturing company (maker of Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Chevrolet) was William Crapo ‘Billy’ Durant.

Ref: 4

Oct 01

Henry Ford introduced the Model T automobile to the market; each car cost $825 and was painted black.

Ref: 70

Dec 08

Four 80 acre tracts are purchased for $72,000 to build the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Ref: 48

1909

Feb 08

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Company files for incorporation.

Ref: 48

Feb 09

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation is incorporated with Carl G. Fisher as president.

Ref: 3

Feb 24

The Hudson Motor Car Company, founded by Joseph Hudson in Detroit, Michigan, incorporates.

Ref: 3

Jun 22

The first transcontinental auto race ended in Seattle, WA.

Ref: 4

Aug 15

The first auto races are held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Wilfrid "Billy" Bourque and his riding mechanic Harry Holcomb, lose their lives in a 25-mile Prest-O-Lite race in a crash on the north end of the main straightaway in the first fatalities at the IMS.

Ref: 48

Aug 19

The first race was run at the Indpls Motor Speedway in Indiana. It wasn’t a brick track yet. It started as a crushed stone and tar track.

Ref: 4

The famous brick surface of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (the "Brickyard") is completed.

Ref: 3

1910

Jan 30

Work begin on the first board-track automobile speedway. The track is built in lovely Playa del Ray, California.

Ref: 4

Mar 16

Barney Oldfield sets land speed record of 131.7 mph at Daytona.

Ref: 5

Mar 23

First race at Los Angeles Motordrome (1st US auto speedway).

Ref: 5

Aug 25

Walden W. Shaw and John D. Hertz formed the Walden W. Shaw Livery Company, which later became the Yellow Cab Company.

Dec 03

The last brick is layed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Ref: 48

1911

Jan 21

First Monte Carlo car rally begins.

Ref: 10

Frenchman Henri Rougier wins first Rally of Monte Carlo.

Ref: 5

The first self-starter, based on patented inventions created by GM engineers Clyde Coleman and Charles Kettering, is installed in a Cadillac.

Ref: 3

Ray Harroun won the first 500-mile auto race at the Brickyard, the Indpls Motor Speedway. Harroun won the race with an average speed of 74.59 MPH. It took him six hours and 42 minutes to complete the race. He won $14,000 for his effort.

Ref: 4

Jul 01

Charles Kettering announces his invention of the self-starter for automobiles; crank no longer.

Ref: 10

Chevrolet Motor Company of Michigan incorporated by William Durant and Louis Chevrolet.

Ref: 10

1912

Jan 22

Second Monte Carlo auto race begins.

Ref: 2

Apr 06

Electric starter first appeared in cars.

Ref: 5

1913

Jan 11

The first sedan-type car was unveiled at the National Automobile Show in New York City. The car was manufactured by the Hudson Motor Company.

Ref: 4

Aug 23

Automobiles are legally allowed to enter Yosemite National Park, California, for the first time on this day, marking a huge change in the national park system. Prior to 1913, most park visitors traveled by train to the park and then took scheduled stagecoach tours.

Lincoln Highway opens as 1st paved coast-to-coast highway

Ref: 5

America's first gas station opens by Gulf Refining Co in Pittsburgh.

Ref: 70

The Ford Motor Company introduced the continuous moving assembly line on this day. Ford's new assembly line could produce a complete car every two-and-a-half minutes.

Ref: 3

1914

Jan 05

Ford Motor Company proudly announced that there would be a new daily minimum wage of $5 and an (shortened) eight-hour work day.

Ref: 4

Jan 14

Henry Ford announced the newest advance in assembly line production of cars. The new continuous motion method reduced assembly time of a car from 12½ hours to 93 minutes.

Ref: 4

First US motorcycle race (300 miles, Dodge City Ks).

Ref: 5

1915

Aug 17

Charles F. Kettering of Detroit, MI patented the electric, automobile self-starter.

Ref: 4

10,000,000th model T Ford assembled.

Ref: 5

1916

Jul 05

Adelina and August Van Buren started on the first successful transcontinental motorcycle tour attempted by two women. The bikers left NY City this day and arrived in San Diego, CA on September 12th.

Ref: 4

Nov 16

Dario Resta, driving a Peugeot, wins the last Vanderbilt Cup race, held in Santa Monica, California.

Ref: 3

1919

Jan 18

Bentley Motors was established in London, England.

Ref: 3

First self-starter, based on GM engineers Clyde Coleman and Chas Kettering, installed in a Cadillac.

Ref: 10

Feb 25

Oregon introduces the first state tax on gasoline at one cent per gallon, to be used for road construction.

Ref: 2

Oct 05

Twenty-one year-old Enzo Ferrari made his racing debut, finishing eleventh in the Parmo-Poggia di Berceto hillclimb in a Costruzioni Meccaniche Nazionali (CMN) vehicle.

Oct 18

Rolls-Royce America is established.

Ref: 3

1920

Jan 26

The Lincoln Motor Car Company is founded. In two years it will be acquired by Ford.

Ref: 3

Feb 01

First commercial armored car introduced (St Paul MN).

Ref: 5

Mar 20

Bugatti delivered its first sixteen-valve luxury car to a customer in Basel, Switzerland.

Ref: 3

Oct 12

Construction of the Holland Tunnel got underway. The tunnel would provide a direct link between Twelfth Street in Jersey City, NJ and Canal Street in NY City. The tunnel has two tubes more than 8,000 feet (2,400 meters) long. It opened to traffic on November 13, 1927. Oh, and one more thing: The Holland Tunnel was named for Clifford Milburn Holland (1883-1924), the civil engineer who died while directing the tunnel’s construction.

Ref: 4

1921

Jan 03

The Studebaker Corporation announces that it would no longer build farm wagons.

Ref: 3

The Ayus Autobahn, the world’s first controlled-access highway and part of Germany’s Bundesautobahn system, opened near Berlin.

1922

Vancouver BC starts driving on the right side of road.

Ref: 5

Feb 04

Ford Motor Company purchases Lincoln Motor Company for $8 million. Edsel Ford named President of Lincoln.

Ref: 45

Aug 23

A 23-litre car named “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” wins the first Southsea (England) Speed Carnival in 1922, driven by Count Louis Zborowski at 73.1 miles per hour.

1923

Feb 02

Gasoline mixed with Tetraethyl lead was first sold to the public at a roadside gas station in Dayton, Ohio, owned by Willard Talbott. Coined “ethyl gasoline” by Charles Kettering of General Motors, the blend was discovered by General Motors laboratory technician Thomas Midgley to beneficially alter the combustion rate of gasoline.

Ref: 3

Feb 22

The 1,000,000th Chevy is produced.

Ref: 3

Apr 05

Firestone Tire and Rubber Company of Akron, OH began the first regular production of balloon tires.

Ref: 4

First Le Mans Grand Prix d'Endurance was run.

Ref: 5

Dec 31

The Sahara is crossed by an automobile for the first time.

Ref: 2

1924

Jan 04

First auto crosses the Sahara desert.

Ref: 62

Jan 09

Ford Motor Co. stock is valued at nearly $1 billion.

Ref: 2

Jun 04

The 10,000,000th Model T Ford rolls off the assembly line. Ref

Jun 15

Ford Motor Company manufactures its 10 millionth automobile.

Ref: 5

Malcolm Campbell sets world auto speed record at 146.16 MPH.

Ref: 5

1925

Peter DePaolo became first man to average over 100 mph at Indpls 500.

Ref: 5

Walter Percy Chrysler founded Chrysler Corp (Iacocca was 8 months old)

Ref: 5

First Chrysler automobile introduced by Walter Chrysler; expensive car to cost $1,500.

Ref: 10

Dec 12

Arthur Heinman coins term "motel", opens Motel Inn, San Luis Obispo.

Ref: 5

Dec 15

First road with a depressed trough (Texas) opens to traffic.

Ref: 5

1926

Jan 03

General Motors introduces the Pontiac brand name. The new Pontiac line was the descendant of the Oakland Motor Car Company, acquired by General Motors in 1909.

Ref: 3

Aug 07

First British Grand Prix raced at Brooklands.

Ref: 10

Henry Ford announces the 8 hour, 5-day work week.

Ref: 5

1927

Mar 29

Major Henry O’Neil de Hane Segrave becomes the first man to break the 200 miles per hour barrier. Driving a 1,000 horsepower Mystery Sunbeam, Segrave averaged 203.79 miles per hour on the course at Daytona Beach, Florida.

Ref: 3

The Ford Motor Company announced that its popular automobile model, the Model T, known as the Tin Lizzie, would not be rolling off assembly lines anymore. Instead, the discontinued car would be replaced by the more modern Model A. The first Model T was manufactured in 1908, designed, the Ford Motor Company stated, “as an inexpensive vehicle for the great multitude.” It was also the first item produced on an assembly line (Henry Ford’s new production system). By 1918, half of all motor cars in the entire world were Tin Lizzies.

Ref: 4

May 31

Ford Motor Company produces last "Tin Lizzie" (begins Model A).

Ref: 5

Ford introduces its Model A to replace the Model T.

Ref: 10

Nov 13

After seven years of construction and over $48 million, the Holland Tunnel, NY City’s connection to Jersey City, NJ, opened to traffic. It was named after the chief engineer of construction, Clifford Milburn Holland, who died before the tunnel was completed.

Ref: 4

Henry Ford's new Model A goes on display at Waldorf Hotel, NY;50,000 ordered.

Ref: 10

Dec 02

The first Model A is unveiled in NY City’s Waldorf Hotel and in 35 other cities around the U.S., Canada and Europe. The Phaeton sold for $395.00 and the Tudor Sedan for $495.00. The lag between cars available and orders on hand had mounted to 800,000 by the spring of 1928.

Ref: 4

1928

Chrysler and Dodge merge in biggest auto industry merger in history.

Ref: 5

Fritz von Opel reaches 200 kph in experimental rocket car.

Ref: 5

1929

Feb 03

Major H.O.D. Seagrave sets a new land speed record of 231.4 mph at Daytona Beach, Florida, driving a car called the Golden Arrow.

Ref: 3

General Motors acquires German auto manufacturer Adam Opel.

Ref: 5

Apr 14

Monaco Grand Prix first run.

Ref: 10

Aug 30

Colonel E. H. Green takes delivery of a new combination gas and electric automobile, built by the General Electric Company.

1930

The first diesel-engine automobile trip is completed. It ran 792 miles -- from Indianapolis, IN to New York City.

Ref: 4

Feb 26

Seven years after Garrett A. Morgan invented traffic lights, New York City decided it might be a good idea to install some of the newfangled contraptions. The city fathers had been studying traffic plans in other cities and had rejected the wide use of amber lights being used to slow motorists down before they came to a red light. The New York Board ruled that the yellow lights were ineffective. So on this date, after too many complaints had been received from drivers complaining about pedestrians straying into their paths, the first red and green signal lights were placed at Manhattan street corners.

Ref: 4

Mar 20

Clessie Cummins sets diesel engine speed record of 129.39 kph.

Ref: 5

Bill Arnold wins Indpls 500 car race (161.6 kph).

Ref: 5

Nov 03

The first vehicular tunnel to a foreign country (Detroit-Windsor) opens.

Ref: 5

1931

Royal Traffic Act in Britain abolishes 20 mph speed limit and brings in driving tests.

Ref: 10

Jan 13

The bridge connecting New York and New Jersey is named the George Washington Memorial Bridge.

Ref: 2

Apr 20

Matilda Dodge Wilson, the widow of John Dodge, is named to the board of the Graham-Paige Motors Corporation. She is the first woman board member of a major auto manufacturer.

Ref: 3

Oct 24

The George Washington Bridge opens, linking New York City with New Jersey across the Hudson River.

Ref: 4

Dec 07

The last Ford Model A is produced.

Ref: 3

Bentley Motors is taken over by Rolls-Royce.

Ref: 3

1932

Feb 24

Malcolm Campbell drives record speed (253.96 mph) at Daytona.

Ref: 5

Feb 28

Ford's Model A ceases production.

Ref: 45

Mar 31

Ford publicly unveils its V-8 engine.

Ref: 5

Apr 01

Ford introduces its new offering: the high-performance Ford V-8, the first Ford with an 8-cylinder engine.

Ref: 3

May 23

Sir Hubert Ferdinand Opperman sets 24 hour record of 860 miles, 367 yards.

Ref: 5

The first US federal tax on gasoline was enacted. The rate was a penny per gallon.

Ref: 4

1933

The first drive-in movie theater opened, in Camden, New Jersey.

Ref: 70

1934

The first driving course is offered at State College High School in State College, PA.

Ref: 3

Mar 15

Henry Ford restores the $5 a day wage.

Ref: 2

Mar 26

The first driving tests are given in England

Ref: 5

Jun 18

US Highway planning surveys nationwide authorized.

Ref: 5

1935

Mar 07

Malcolm Campbell sets an auto speed record of 276.8 mph in Florida.

Ref: 2

Driving tests introduced in Great Britain.

Ref: 5

Sir Malcolm Campbell became the first person to drive an automobile over 300 miles an hour. Campbell drove his Bluebird Special on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah at a speed of 304.331 MPH.

Ref: 4

1936

Jan 05

Two GM plants in Flint, Michigan, are taken over by the Teamsters Union protesting intolerable work conditions

Ref: 62

Jan 15

Non-profit Ford Foundation incorporates.

Ref: 5

Feb 26

Hitler introduces Ferdinand Porsche's "Volkswagen".

Ref: 5

Mar 08

Daytona Beach, Florida, staged its first race strictly for stock cars on a combination beach and public roadway course.

Ref: 3

Oct 22

The first test drives of the Volkswagon "Beetle" begin in Germany.

Ref: 3

Nov 12

Oakland Bay Bridge opens.

Ref: 5

Dec 30

The United Auto Workers union staged its first "sit-down" strike, at the Fisher Body Plant Number One in Flint, Michigan.

Ref: 5

1937

Jan 25

Miami-to-Tampa bus overturned in a canal, kills 13.

Ref: 5

First permanent automobile license plates issued (Connecticut).

Ref: 5

Mar 24

Bus blew a tire, going out of control, killing 18 (Salem IL).

Ref: 5

Aug 27

George E.T. Eyston sets world auto speed record at 345.49 MPH.

Ref: 5

Sep 30

Duesenberg closes its doors forever.

Dec 21

(or 22nd) The Lincoln Tunnel was officially opened to traffic, allowing motorists to drive between New Jersey and Manhattan beneath the Hudson River. (Ref. 3)

Ref: 3

Lincoln Tunnel (New York NY) opens to traffic.

Ref: 5

1938

Jan 19

GM began mass production of diesel engines.

Ref: 5

Driver Rudolf Caracciola set a new land-speed record (not recognized by all organizations) of 268.496 miles per hour on the German Autobahn between Frankfurt and Darmstadt.

Ref: 3

Feb 25

The first drive-in opens on Crescent Boulevard in Camden New, Jersey.

Ref: 3

Aug 18

The Toyota Motor Company, Ltd., a division of Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, is established.

Aug 27

Captain George Eyston establishes a land speed record of 345.49 MPH when he sails over the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah in a Rolls-Royce-powered Thunderbolt.

Sep 15

John Cobb sets world auto speed record at 350.2 MPH (lasts 1 day).

Ref: 5

George E.T. Eyston sets world auto speed record at 357.5 MPH.

Ref: 5

School bus & train collide in Salt Lake City UT.

Ref: 5

1939

The first and only Yugoslavian Grand Prix was run at Kalemagdan Park in Belgrade, wins by Italian champion Tazio Nuvolari. This race was the last Grand Prix event before World War II.

Nov 04

The 40th National Automobile Show opens in Chicago, Illinois, the first car equipped with air-conditioning is installed in a Packard.

Ref: 3

Nov 10

The first air-conditioned automobiles went on display at the Auto Show in Chicago.

Ref: 4

Dec 13

The first production Lincoln Continental is finished.

Ref: 3

1940

Aug 26

The last LaSalle, manufactured by Cadillac, is built.

Oct 01

The first section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, 160 miles in length and America's first example of a toll superhighway, opens to the public.

Ref: 5

Nov 13

Willys Motor Co. tested the 1st Jeep.

Ref: 51

Dec 30

The Arroyo Seco Parkway, the forerunner of the Pasadena Freeway (between Los Angeles and Pasadena), was dedicated by Los Angeles, CA Mayor Fletcher Bowron. It was the first freeway in the western U.S. and was designated as a historic engineering landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1999.

Ref: 70

1941

Jun 20

Henry Ford recognizes the UAW.

Ref: 59

Aug 01

Parade magazine called it “...the Army’s most intriguing new gadget.” The gadget was “a tiny truck which can do practically everything.” General Dwight D. Eisenhower said that America couldn’t have won World War II without it. The tiny truck was the Jeep, built at the time by the Willys Truck Company. Parade was so enthusiastic about the Jeep that it devoted three pages to the vehicle.

Ref: 4

1942

Chrysler, Plymouth, and Studebaker retool for war.

Ref: 3

Feb 07

The federal government orders passenger car production stopped and converted to wartime purposes.

Ref: 3

Jul 05

Edsel Ford of Detroit was disappointed to discover that because of strict wartime auto rationing, he was unable to get a car until his application had been approved by the government. Mr. Ford’s family had, incidentally, produced over 30 million automobiles to that day. And, yes, he later had the Edsel named after him.

Ref: 4

New Waterloo bridge opens to traffic in London.

Ref: 10

Oct 29

Alaska highway completed.

Ref: 5

Nov 21

The Alaska highway across Canada formally opens. (XDG, p A4, 11/21/2003)

Ref: 83

Dec 15

The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities issued the first plastic license-plate tabs.

Ref: 4

1945

Jul 03

The first civilian passenger car built since February 1942 was driven off the assembly line at the Ford Motor Company plant in Detroit, MI. Automotive production had been diverted to military production for the war (WWII) effort.

Ref: 4

A bus equipped with a two-way radio was put into service for the first time -- in Washington, DC.

Ref: 4

Nov 14

Captain Eddie Rickenbacker sold the historic Indpls Motor Speedway. Former Indy winner Wilbur Shaw became the new president and manager of the speedway. The track was purchased by the Tony Holman family a short time later.

Ref: 4

Nov 26

During snow storm, school bus crashes, killing 15 (Washington).

Ref: 5

Preston Tucker reveals plan to produce the Torpedo, a new 150 MPH car.

Ref: 5

1946

Jan 20

The first Kaiser-Frazer automobiles are introduced at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

Ref: 3

Nov 12

The first drive-up banking facility opened at the Exchange National Bank in Chicago, IL. There were 10 teller windows with slide-out drawers.

Ref: 4

1947

Mar 30

Preston Tucker announced his concept for a new automobile to be named "the Tucker".

Ref: 3

John Cobb sets world auto speed record at 394.2 MPH.

Ref: 5

Dec 13

Maine Turnpike opens to traffic.

Ref: 5

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is founded at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Ref: 3

1948

Feb 03

The first Cadillac with tailfins is produced.

Ref: 3

Feb 21

Six days after its first race was held, NASCAR was officially incorporated as the National Association for Stock Car Racing.

Ref: 3

Apr 30

First Land Rover car exhibited at the Amsterdam Motor Show.

Ref: 10

Oct 12

First Morris Minor car in Britain produced at Cowley, Oxfordshire designed by Alec Issigonis.

Ref: 10

1949

Jan 17

The first Volkswagen Beetle arrives in the U.S.

Ref: 3

Mar 03

Tucker Corporation goes into receivership.

Ref: 3

The first car to carry the Porsche family name is introduced at the 19th International Automobile Show in Geneva, Switzerland.

Ref: 3

1950

Preston Tucker, auto maker, found not guilty of mail fraud.

Ref: 5

General Motors reports net earnings of $656,434,232 (record).

Ref: 5

Apr 14

Doorne's Auto factory opens in Netherlands.

Ref: 5

First passenger cars allowed on new Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel in New York City.

Ref: 5

May 31

Due to rain, Indpls 500 shortened to 345 miles, Johnny Parson wins.

Ref: 5

The first Porsche is built.

Sep 04

Darlington Raceway, SC, hosts its first NASCAR Winston Cup Race. (USA Today, p 1E, 8/29/2003)

Ref: 13

Nov 02

Britain's longest motorway, the M1, opens.

Ref: 10

1951

Packard introduces its "250" Chassis Convertible.

Ref: 2

Dec 05

The first push button-controlled garage opened in Washington, DC. A single attendant, without entering a car, could automatically park or return an auto in less than a minute.

Ref: 4

1953

Jun 16

The Ford Motor Company presented one of TV’s biggest events. Ethel Merman and Mary Martin headlined a gala 50th anniversary show for the automaker.

Ref: 4

Jun 30

The first Corvette rolled off the Chevrolet assembly line in Flint, MI. That early ’Vette sold for $3,250.

Ref: 4

Continental Trailways offers the first transcontinental express bus service in the U.S. The 3,154-mile ride from New York City to San Francisco lasted 88 hours 50 minutes.

1954

Jan 14

The Hudson Motor Car Company merged with Nash-Kelvinator, an auto maker formed in turn by the merger of the Nash automobile firm and the Kelvinator kitchen-appliance company. The new concern was called the American Motors Corporation.

Ref: 3

Jan 21

The gas turbine automobile was introduced in New York City. This baby packed a lot of punch, with a 370 horsepower, ‘whirlfire’ turbopower jet to power it.

Ref: 4

Jun 10

General Motors announced that the first successful gas-turbine bus had been produced.

Ref: 4

Aug 10

Workers at the Studebaker auto plant in South Bend, IN agreed to take pay cuts of from $12 to $20 weekly in an attempt to help the faltering automaker. The plan didn’t help. Studebaker was soon out of business because of increased competition from Ford, General Motors and Chrysler.

Ref: 4

Sep 11

First Ford Thunderbird, serial number 100,005,rolls off Ford assembly line.

Ref: 10

Oct 26

Chevrolet introduces the V-8 engine.

Ref: 2

Nov 19

Two automatic toll collectors were placed in service on the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey. The nation’s first automatic toll collector accepted only correct change. One needed a quarter to activate the green light.

Ref: 4

Nov 23

General Motors celebrates manufacture of 50 millionth car in Flint Michigan a gold plated Chevy.

Ref: 10

Dec 20

Buick Motor Company signed Jackie Gleason to one of the largest contracts ever entered into with an entertainer. Gleason agreed to produce 78 half-hour shows over a two-year period for $6,142,500. How sweet it was!

Ref: 4

1955

May 22

Oldest man to drive in the Grand Prix (aged 55) finishes 6th.

Ref: 5

Bob Sweikert wins Indpls 500 with an average speed of 128.213 mph.

Ref: 5

Jun 11

82 die, 100 injured in worst Le Mans car crash ever Mercedes driven by Pierre Levegh into crowd.

Ref: 18

Jun 27

First automobile seat belt legislation enacted (IL).

Ref: 5

Aug 03

Automobile Association of America ends support of auto racing.

Ref: 5

The world’s first solar-powered automobile, designed by William G. Cobb, was demonstrated at the General Motors Powerama in Chicago.

Ref: 5

US Auto Club forms to oversee 4 major auto racing categories.

Ref: 5

Tappan Zee Bridge in NY opens to traffic.

Ref: 5

1956

Feb 08

First red London double-decker buses go into service.

Ref: 10

Apr 15

General Motors announced that the first, free piston automobile had been developed.

Ref: 4

Aug 04

Wilhelm Herz was clocked at 210 miles per hour at Wendover, UT. He became the first person to race a motorcycle over 200 mph.

Ref: 4

1957

Dutch ban on Sunday driving lifted.

Ref: 5

May 12

A.J. Foyt earned his first auto racing victory in KS City, Missouri. He went on to become a four-time winner of the Indpls 500 -- in 1961, 1964, 1967 and 1977.

Ref: 4

Aug 04

Juan Fangio wins his final auto race and captured the world auto driving championship -- for the fifth consecutive year.

Ref: 5

Aug 18

Juan-Manuel Fangio, wins his last auto World Championship at 46.

Ref: 5

Aug 26

The Ford Motor Company rolled out the first Edsel automobile. 110,847 of the cars were built before Ford pulled the plug due to lack of sales.

Ref: 4

Sep 04

Ford Motor Co. begins selling its ill-fated Edsel automobile.

Ref: 5

The Mackinac Straits Bridge, between Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas, opened to traffic. At the time, it was the world’s longest suspension bridge -- and is still in the top ten -- at five miles long, with a main span of 3,800 feet/1,158 meters.

Ref: 4

1958

Feb 07

Dutch auto-transmission car DAF 600 introduced.

Ref: 5

1959

Feb 22

Lee Petty wins the first Daytona 500 at the brand-new Daytona International Speedway, driving a new hardtop Olds 88 to a photo-finish with Johnny Beauchamp.

Ref: 3

May 20

Ford wins battle with Chrysler to call its new car "Falcon".

Ref: 5

Sep 02

Ford introduces the Falcon.

Britain's first major motorway from London to the North, the M1, opens its first leg.

Ref: 10

Nov 19

The last Edsel rolled off the assembly line. Ford Motor Company stopped production of the big flop after two years and a total of 110,847 cars.

Ref: 4

Dec 12

At 22 years and 104 days of age, Bruce McLaren became the youngest driver to win a Grand Prix race as he earned first place at Sebring, Florida.

Ref: 4

1960

Aug 24

60 people die when bus plunges off bridge into Turvo River, Brazil.

Ref: 5

Nov 09

Robert McNamara is named the president of Ford Motor Company.

Ref: 3

1961

Mar 16

Jaguar Cars Ltd. introduces the XK-E, or E-Type, at the Geneva Auto Show.

Ref: 3

1962

Aug 09

The Chrysler Corporation announces the first 50,000-mile warranty covering all of its 1963 cars and trucks.

Aug 14

French & Italian workers break through at Mount Blanc Vehicular Tunnel.

Ref: 5

Aug 20

The first Ford Thunderbird is produced.

1963

Mar 31

Los Angeles ends streetcar service after 90 years.

Ref: 5

Aug 05

Craig Breedlove sets world auto speed record at 407.45 MPH.

Ref: 5

The first Ford Thunderbirds roll off the assembly line.

Wendell Scott took first place in the Grand National race in Jacksonville, Florida, becoming the first black driver ever to win a NASCAR event.

Ref: 3

Dec 09

The last American-made Studebaker is produced, and the factory in South Bend, Indiana, closed forever.

Ref: 3

1964

Mar 09

(or 10th) The first Ford Mustang rolls off the Ford assembly line.

Ref: 2

Apr 16

The first Ford Mustang is released to the public.

Ref: 3

Apr 17

Ford Mustang formally introduced ($2368 base).

Ref: 5

Jul 17

Don Campbell sets record for turbine vehicle, 690.91 kph (429.31 mph).

Ref: 5

Craig Breedlove sets auto speed record of 846.97 kph.

Ref: 5

Nov 12

Paula Murphy sets female land speed record 226.37 MPH.

Ref: 5

Nov 21

NY's Verrazano Narrows Bridge, between Brooklyn and Staten Island, was officially opened to traffic at 3 P.M. The first 50¢ toll was paid by the George Scarpelli, 22, an employee of the Parks department, driving a light blue Cadillac. The coin was pocketed by Larry Chrusano, the toll-collector, who replaced it with his own money. Three workmen killed during the construction of the bridge, designed by 85-year old O.H. Ammann.

Ref: 70

1965

General Motors reported the biggest profit of any U.S. company in history. Earnings for the #1 of the Big Three automakers in 1964 totaled $1.735 billion. That’s a lot of Corvettes, Chevrolets, Cadillacs, Buicks, Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles, my friend.

Ref: 4

May 31

Jim Clark becomes first foreigner in 49 years to win Indpls 500.

Ref: 5

The Ford Bronco is introduced.

Nov 04

Lee Ann Roberts Breedlove, wife of land speed record-holder Craig Breedlove, becomes the first female driver to exceed 300 mph when she sped to 308.50 mph in the Spirit of America - Sonic 1 vehicle over the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.

Ref: 3

Nov 15

Craig Breedlove, driving his jet-powered Spirit of America - Sonic 1 vehicle, raced to 600.601 mph over the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, and set a new land speed record.

Ref: 3

Great-Britain sets maximum speed at 70 MPH.

Ref: 5

1966

Apr 25

Drunk driver kills 10 children in Asse Belgium.

Ref: 5

May 04

Soviet Government signs accord about building Fiat factory in USSR.

Ref: 5

Graham Hill wins Indpls 500 car race (232.2 kph).

Ref: 5

The Chevrolet Camaro is debuted.

1967

2 homemade buses collided on a mountain road in Terpate, Philippines plunging off a cliff, killing 84, injuring 140.

Ref: 5

Motorists in Sweden began driving on the right rather than the left. (XDG, p 4A, 9/02/2003)

Ref: 83

1969

Feb 01

John DeLorean was named the top executive at Chevrolet.

Ref: 3

Mar 08

The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am is introduced.

Ref: 3

May 14

Last Chevrolet Corvair produced.

Ref: 5

1970

Feb 13

General Motors is reportedly redesigning automobiles to run on unleaded fuel.

Ref: 2

Apr 03

Miriam Hargrave of England passes her drivers test on 40th try.

Ref: 5

Aug 03

Mairiam Hargrave of Yorkshire, passes her driving test on 40th try.

Ref: 5

Oct 23

Gary Gabelich sets auto speed record 622.4 mph (1,002 kph).

Ref: 5

Lee Iacocca named president of Ford Motor Company.

Ref: 45

1971

Feb 04

British car maker Rolls Royce declared itself bankrupt.

Ref: 5

A commuter bus plunges into Panama Canal, killing 38 of 43 aboard.

Ref: 5

1972

The 15,007,034th Volkswagen Beetle rolled out of the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg, Germany, surpassing the Ford Model T’s previous production record to become the most heavily produced car in history.

Ref: 3

May 10

Overloaded South Korean bus plunges into reservoir, killing 77

Ref: 2

Emerson Fittipaldi is youngest person to win an auto race World Championship.

Ref: 5

1973

Feb 18

Richard Petty, the "King of Stock Car Racing," wins the Daytona 500 before a crowd of over 103,000 spectators.

Ref: 3

David Pearson became the first racecar driver to earn one million dollars in career earnings. Pearson finished second in the Southern 500 stock-car race in Darlington, SC. Other drivers to make the big bucks at the time were Richard Petty, A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, Sr. and Mario Andretti.

Ref: 4

Sep 29

The Insurance industry announces auto racers get into more highway accidents.

Ref: 5

Oct 14

Scottish racecar driver Jackie Stewart announced his retirement from auto racing. He also announced his newfound ability to be a race commentator for ABC-TV.

Ref: 4

Oct 24

Heavy fog causes 65 car collision killing 9 on NJ Turnpike.

Ref: 5

Nov 25

Maximum speed limits in the United States were cut to 55 MPH by an act of congress. It was an energy conservation measure and was also intended to save an estimated 9,000 lives each year.

Ref: 5

A federal speed limit of 55 miles per hour was imposed across the United States.

Ref: 3

1974

President Nixon signed legislation requiring states to limit highway speeds to 55 miles-an-hour (however, federal speed limits were abolished in 1995).

Ref: 70

Feb 05

Maximum speed on Autobahn reduced to 100 kph.

Ref: 5

Feb 06

Dutch speed limit set at 100 km due to oil crisis.

Ref: 5

Jul 28

69 die when packed bus strikes heavy truck (Belem, Brazil).

Ref: 5

Head-on collision between two buses kills 21 (Ankara, Turkey).

Ref: 5

1975

Jan 12

Chrysler Corp offers first car rebates.

Ref: 5

Feb 07

Canada imposes a fifty-five mile per hour speed limit.

Ref: 3

The Honda Civic was introduced to the United States market as an alternative to the inefficient cars offered by American car companies.

Ref: 3

May 27

Worst motor vehicle disaster in UK; bus full of elderly women plunges from Dibble's Bridge Yorkshire, killing 38.

Ref: 5

Aug 21

3 truck pile up kills 10, injures 26 on French highway.

Ref: 5

Dec 12

Chrysler Corp offers first car rebates.

Ref: 5

1976

Apr 21

A Cadillac convertible, the ‘last’ American-made rag-top automobile, rolled off the assembly line at GM’s Cadillac production facility in Detroit, MI. This ended a tradition that began in 1916. The tradition didn’t stay ended, however. A few years later, Chrysler Corporation, under chairman Lee Iacocca, began production once again of soft-top cars. Then Ford brought back the convertible Mustang and GM got back in the picture with the convertible Pontiac Sunbird and a new, smaller Cadillac version. It seems that the convertible is just too popular to disappear from the American auto scene!

Ref: 4

Bobby Unser sets world record for the fastest pit stop (4 seconds).

Ref: 5

1977

Feb 06

Alain Prieur jumps his motorcycle 65 meter over 16 buses, near Paris.

Ref: 5

A J Foyt wins Indpls 500 (average speed of 161.331 mph) for a record 4th time.

Ref: 5

Janet Guthrie becomes first woman to drive in the Indpls 500.

Ref: 5

Nov 15

Workers at the Mahwah plant in New York complete the 100,000,000th Ford to be built in America: a 1978 Ford Fairmont four-door sedan.

Ref: 3

1978

Jan 19

Last Volkswagen Beetle made.

Ref: 10

Apr 10

First American-made Volkswagen rolls off assembly line in Pennsylvania; Honda next to open plant.

Ref: 10

May 13

Joey Chitwood drives a Chevette 5.6 miles on just 2 wheels.

Ref: 5

Al Unser became 5th to win Indpls 500 (average speed of 161.363 mph), 3 times.

Ref: 5

Jul 13

Lee Iacocca was fired as president of Ford Motor Company by chairman Henry Ford II.

Ref: 70

Aug 28

Donald Vesco rode 21'-long Kawasaki motorcycle at 318.598 mph.

Ref: 5

Lee Iacocca leaves Ford Motor Company to become president of Chrysler.

Ref: 45

Nov 02

John J. Riccardo, Chairman of Chrysler Corporation, hired Lee A. Iacocca as Chrysler President. Ten months later, Riccardo resigned and Iacocca was elected Chairman (September 20, 1979).

Ref: 4

1979

Jan 10

The last convertible Volkswagen Beetle is produced.

Ref: 3

US Government loans Chrysler Corporation $1.5 billion after it had lost $460M in 3rd Quarter

Ref: 5

Dec 03

The last Pacer is produced by the American Motor Company.

Ref: 3

Dec 17

Driver Stan Barrett became the first person in the world to travel faster than sound on land. He drove the Budweiser Rocket car at a top speed of 739.666 in a one-way run at Rogers Dry Lake, California. The ultrasonic speed set an unofficial record, but an official record requires trips in both directions, whose speeds are averaged.

Ref: 3

Stanley Barrett first to exceed land sonic speed (739.666 MPH).

Ref: 5

Dec 21

The U.S. Congress approved $1.5 billion in loans to the financially threatened Chrysler Corporation in an effort to save the battered automotive giant. President Jimmy Carter signed the bill on January 7, 1980. Under the stewardship of Lee Iacocca, Chysler rebounded quickly. By the late 1980s the auto maker was posting record profits.

Ref: 3

1980

Chrysler UK renamed Talbot.

Ref: 5

President Jimmy Carter signed a bill authorizing $1.2 billion in federal loans to save the failing Chrysler Corporation. It was the largest federal bailout in history.

Ref: 3

Jan 11

Honda announces it will build Japan's first U.S. passenger-car assembly plant in Ohio.

Ref: 2

Continuous traffic jam extends 176 km north of Lyons, France.

Ref: 5

Buddy Baker wins Daytona 500 (177.6 MPH/285.8 kph).

Ref: 5

A jury in Winamac, Indiana, finds the Ford Motor Company innocent of reckless homicide in the fiery deaths of three young women riding in a Ford Pinto.

Ref: 5

Ford Motor Chairman Henry Ford II announces he is stepping down.

Ref: 6

Sep 05

Switzerland’s St. Gotthard Auto Tunnel, the longest underground motorway in the world, opened. Traffic moved along the 10+ miles that took ten years to build and cost $417 million.

Ref: 4

1981

Roger Smith becomes CEO of General Motors.

Ref: 5

Chrysler Corp reports largest corporate losses in US history.

Ref: 5

Bobby Unser was first to the checkered flag for his third major victory since 1968. He won the ‘Greatest Spectacle in Racing,’ the Indpls 500. The victory, however, was short lived, as race stewards took the win away from Unser the next day and awarded it to Mario Andretti. It was the first time a driver had been stripped of the championship. Race officials, looking at videotape, said that Unser had violated the caution light rule and penalized him one lap.

Ref: 4

Al Unser becomes first Indpls 500 winner to be disqualified.

Ref: 5

Jul 16

After 23 years of familiarity with the name, Datsun, executives of Nissan, the Japanese automaker, played with our minds and changed the name of their cars to Nissan. Nissan didn’t begin to show up on nameplates in the US until the 1985 models were released.

Ref: 4

Oct 08

USAC appeals panel restores disputed Indy 500 victory to Al Unser.

Ref: 5

1982

Jan 08

Johnny Cash Parkway opens in Hendersonville Tennessee.

Ref: 5

Closest Indpls 500, Gordon Johncock beats Rick Mears by 0.16 seconds.

Ref: 5

Jul 12

The last of the distinctive-looking Checker taxicabs rolled off the assembly line in Kalamazoo, MI. The company had produced those cabs since 1922.

Ref: 4

Jul 31

46 kids & 7 adults die as 2 buses & several cars collide in France.

Ref: 5

Max speedometer reading mandated at 85 MPH.

Ref: 5

Sep 09

Henry Ford II retires once and for all, swearing off all involvement with the Ford Motor Company. He had been president since 1945.

Oct 29

Car maker John DeLorean is indicted for drug trafficking, later acquitted.

Ref: 5

1983

Wearing seatbelts in cars made compulsory in Britain.

Ref: 10

Sep 05

Elmer Trettr sets record for highest terminal velocity at 201.34 mph end of a 440 yard motorcycle run from a standing start.

Ref: 5

Oct 04

Briton Richard Noble raced to a new one-mile land speed record in his jet-powered Thrust 2 vehicle. The Thrust 2, a 17,000-pound jet-powered Rolls-Royce Avon 302 designed by John Ackroyd, reached a record 633.468 mph over the one-mile course in Nevada's stark Black Rock Desert, breaking the 631.367 mph speed record achieved by Gary Gabelich's Blue Flame in 1970.

Ref: 5

1984

Feb 12

Cale Yarborough, becomes first Daytona 500 qualifier, above 200 MPH.

Ref: 5

May 20

Barb Bunkowsky wins LPGA Chrysler-Plymouth Charity Golf Classic.

Ref: 5

The last Volkswagen Rabbit rolled off the assembly line in Westmoreland, PA. Over 11 million of the economical cars had been produced.

Ref: 4

1985

US's first manadatory seat belt law goes into effect (NY).

Ref: 5

Jan 07

GM launches the Saturn Corporation as a wholly owned but independent subsidiary.

Ref: 3

Jan 08

General Motors announces plans for Saturn Corporation, a subsidiary that will manufacture sub-compact cars.

Ref: 17

Jan 19

The New York Times announced that Lee Iacocca’s book, Iacocca, was the best selling hard cover book of 1984. It wasn’t topped in sales until the arrival of Rush Limbaugh’s first tome in the early ’90s.

Ref: 4

The final Jeep, the workhorse vehicle that came home a hero from World War II, rolls off the assembly line at the AMC plant in Toledo, OH.

Ref: 4

Mar 04

Virtual ban on leaded gas ordered by EPA.

Ref: 5

May 02

The General Motors X-Cars rolled off the assembly line in Detroit, MI for the final time on this day. The cars were a dismal failure, despite being a hit in the beginning. The X-Cars were subject to massive recalls which cost G.M. many millions of dollars.

Ref: 4

May 11

Scott Brayton turned in the fastest lap ever at the Indpls Motor Speedway. Brayton was traveling at 214.199 MPH in the third lap of qualifying. He had already set records in the first two trips around the track. Brayton’s average speed of 212.345 broke the record previously set by Tom Sneva in the 1984 time trials.

Ref: 4

May 11

Duane ‘Pancho’ Carter grabbed the pole position for the Indpls 500. Carter entered the history books with a speed of 212.583 MPH for four qualifying laps around the 2.5 mile track at Indy.

Ref: 4

A.J. Foyt made it to his 30th Indpls 500 as he got his sluggish Indy-car to start. Following the race, he announced that he would retire from auto racing after the 1987 Indy race. And he did.

Ref: 4

Danny Sullivan wins Indpls 500 by 24 seconds following a spin.

Ref: 5

Jun 27

Route 66, which originally stretched from Chicago to Santa Monica, Calif., passed into history as officials decertified the road.

Ref: 70

Jul 02

General Motors announced that it was installing electronic road maps as an option on some of its higher-priced car models. The system used a dashboard computer and maps stored on cassette tapes. Guess how popular the idea was? Time’s up! It wasn’t. But stand by. With global-positioning satellite map imagery available, motorists are entering a new era in map reading.

Ref: 4

Jul 29

Spring Hill, TN was selected as the new home of the Saturn automobile assembly plant. General Motors announced that it expected to produce up to 500,000 Saturns a year beginning in 1989. Some 14,000 jobs were created to operate the new auto plant.

Ref: 4

Aug 26

The Yugo, manufactured in Yugoslavia, was first introduced to the U.S. market on this day.

7 die in a car & train crash in San Jose Calif.

Ref: 5

1986

Mar 02

Protesters try to stop Land Rover motor company being sold to US.

Ref: 5

Apr 13

Spanish Grand Prix decided by 0.014 of a second.

Ref: 5

May 01

Race car driver Bill Elliott set a stock car speed record with his Ford Thunderbird in Talladega, AL. Elliott zipped around the track at 212.229 mph.

Ref: 4

Bobby Rahal is first to average over 170 mph in the Indpls 500.

Ref: 5

Aug 23

Darrell Waltrip became the first racecar driver to earn $7 million, making him the best-paid driver in NASCAR.

Ref: 4

Nissan Motor Company Ltd. opens its Sunderland, England plant, the first Japanese automobile factory in Europe.

Nov 09

Bobby Rahal won his first national auto racing driving title. He had earned $300,000 for six victories, including an Indy 500 win.

Ref: 4

Nov 17

Racecar driver Rick Mears set a U.S. closed-course record at the Michigan International Speedway. Mears was timed at an average speed of 233.934 mph, breaking the record set by Mark Donahue in 1975.

Ref: 4

1987

After a 29-year lapse, the Ford Thunderbird was again presented with the Motor Trend Car of the Year Award. This was the first repeat winner of the award.

Ref: 4

Mar 09

Chrysler Corporation offers to buy American Motors Corporation on this day. The car maker offered up to $1 billion dollars for the financially troubled AMC.

Ref: 4

Apr 03

Bill Elliott sets NASCAR qualify record of 212.809 mph at Talladega.

Ref: 5

May 06

Mario Andretti sets the one-lap speed record at Indpls 500 at 218.204 MPH.

Ref: 5

Al Unser Sr, 47, wins his 4th Indpls 500.

Ref: 5

Jul 13

Federal judge throws out Bette Midler's $10 million suit against Ford Motor Co, who used a sound alike voice for their TV commercials

Ref: 5

Jul 27

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. Police psychologists blamed “self-centered attitudes, violence in films and even the breakdown of family...” for the ‘road rage’. Authorities recommended that drivers avoid confrontation. In other words, don’t honk your horn, flash your headlights or wave your middle finger at that S.O.B.! It could be fatal.

Ref: 4

Aug 02

Michael Andretti runs fastest Indy car race in history (171.49 MPH).

Ref: 5

Sep 20

Alain Prost wins record 28th Formula one auto race.

Ref: 5

Oct 22

Canadian Garry Sowerby and American Tim Cahill complete the first trans-Americas drive, driving from Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in a total elapsed time of twenty-three days, twenty-two hours, and forty-three minutes. The pair drove the 14,739-mile distance in a 1988 GMC Sierra K3500 4-wheel-drive pickup truck powered by a 6.2-liter V-8 Detroit diesel engine.

Ref: 3

Chrysler pleads no contest to selling driven vehicles as new.

Ref: 5

1988

Feb 14

Bobby Allison at 50 becomes oldest driver to win Daytona 500.

Ref: 5

Pontiac announces the end of the Fiero automobile.

Ref: 5

Apr 04

Eddie Hill becomes first to drag race a ¼ mile in under 5 seconds.

Ref: 5

May 11

Mario Andretti records fastest Indpls 500 lap (221.565 mph).

Ref: 5

May 14

27 people, mostly teenagers, are killed when their church bus collides with a pickup truck going the wrong way on the highway near Carrollton KY. The truck driver, Larry Mahoney, was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 16 years in prison. He was released in September, 1999. (XDG, p 4A, 5/14/2003)

Ref: 83

Jul 27

Boston's worst traffic jam in 30 years.

Ref: 5

Dec 30

Mercedes-Benz pays $20.2-M fine failed to meet '86 government fuel standard.

Ref: 5

1989

Jan 07

The Dodge Viper is introduced at the North American International Automobile Show.

Ref: 3

Apr 27

Mandatory seatbelt law goes into effect in Italy.

Ref: 5

May 17

Longest Cab Ride Ever: 14,000 miles cost $16,000!.

Ref: 5

Emerson Fittipaldi wins the Indpls 500 with an average speed of 167.581 mph.

Ref: 5

Toyota Launches Lexus.

The Feds require air bags.

Nov 11

Jaguar becomes a subsidiary of Ford.

Ref: 3

1990

Mar 15

The first Ford Explorer rolls off the assembly line.

Ref: 3

May 27

74th Indpls 500 runs; Arie Luyendyk wins with an average speed of 185.981 mph.

Ref: 5

Longest wheelie (David Robilliard with 5 hours 12 minutes 33 seconds (Channel Islands).

Ref: 5

Dec 11

13 die in 83 vehicle accident in Chattanooga TN (I-75), due to fog.

Ref: 5

1991

New Jersey raises turnpike tolls 70%.

Ref: 5

Sep 04

Rte 35 Theater in Hazlit, the last drive-in in NJ, closes.

Ref: 5

Oct 22

General Motors announces 9 month loss of $2.2 billion.

Ref: 5

General Motors announced it would close 21 North American plants over the next four years and slash tens of thousands of jobs in a sweeping restructuring of the world's largest company.

Ref: 4

1992

Al Unser Jr. became the first second-generation winner of the Indpls 500.

Ref: 70

Nov 08

Daredevil Jacky Vranken of Belgium sets a record for the highest speed ever attained on the rear wheel of a motorcycle. At St. Truiden Military Airfield in Belgium, Vranken reached 157.87 MPH while performing an extended "wheelie" with his Suzuki GSXR 1100 motorcycle.

Ref: 3

Nov 15

After 200 victories, seven championships and more than 1,000 career starts, Richard Petty ended his career as a driver. In his final race, at Atlanta Motor Speedway, he drove his red and blue SIP Pontiac to a 35th-place finish in the Hooters 500.

Ref: 4

1993

Feb 08

General Motors sued NBC, alleging that the program "Dateline NBC" had rigged two crashes to show that GM pickups were prone to fires. NBC settled the lawsuit the following day.

Ref: 70

Feb 09

NBC News announced it had settled a defamation lawsuit brought by General Motors over the network's "inappropriate demonstration" of a fiery pickup truck crash on its "Dateline NBC" program.

Ref: 70

Sep 06

Automakers Renault of France and Volvo of Sweden announced they merge; however, Volvo canceled the deal the following December. (XDG, p 4A, 9/06/2003)

Ref: 83

Sep 07

The Chrysler Corporation introduced its new Neon at the Frankfurt Auto Show.

1994

May 02

Bus crashes into a tree at Gdansk Poland, 30 killed.

Ref: 5

May 06

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and French President Francois Mitterrand formally opened the Channel Tunnel between their countries.

Ref: 70

Al Unser Jr wins 78th Indpls 500 in 3:06:29.006 (255.89 kph).

Ref: 5

1995

Bus crashes in Luzon Philippines, 29 killed.

Ref: 5

Nov 28

President Clinton signed a bill that ended the federal 55 mph speed limit.

Ref: 70

1996

Feb 18

Daytona 500 race.

Ref: 5

Plans approved allowing traffic cameras High Harrington & Shap England.

Ref: 5

Apr 25

Ford Motor Company announced a recall of about eight million cars, minivans and pickups because of an ignition switch fire hazard.

Ref: 6

Indpls 500 race; Buddy Lazier wins with an average speed of 147.956 mph.

Ref: 5

Jun 23

Rusty Wallace ran out of gas while racing in the Miller 400 at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, MI. Fortunately for Wallace, his tank ran dry after he had crossed the finish line to win the race.

Ref: 4

1997

At age 25, Jeff Gordon is youngest winner in Daytona 500 history.

Ref: 5

British fighter pilot Andy Green set a new land speed record in their Thrust SSC vehicle, jet-powering to an impressive 714.144 mph over the one-mile course. (TWA, 1998)

Ref: 95

British Royal Air Force pilot Andy Green drove (piloted?) the first land-based vehicle, the Thrust Supersonic, (at Black Rock Desert, NV) to break the sound barrier: a two-way average speed of 763.035 mph – mach 1.020.

Ref: 4

A unique bridge-and-tunnel expressway across Tokyo Bay opened. The Trans-Tokyo Bay Motorway was named the Tokyo Bay Aqualine, a toll highway that spans the narrowest gap of Tokyo Bay. It opened to traffic this day, after 31 years of studies and construction at a total cost of 1.44 trillion yen (some $10.8 billion at the time). The 15-kilometer (9.3-mile) expressway, connecting Kisarazu City of Chiba Prefecture and Kawasaki City of Kanagawa Prefecture, makes it possible to make a round-trip of the bay by car. Of the total length, 4.4 kilometers (2.7 miles) from the Kisarazu side is a bridge and 9.5 kilometers (5.9 miles) from the Kawasaki side is an undersea tunnel, which is the world’s longest undersea tunnel, running 60 meters (197 feet) deep under the surface of the water.

Ref: 4

1998

Jan 29

Thick Fog causes highway carnage in Belgium & Netherlands, 6 die.

Ref: 5

Feb 15

Dale Earnhardt finally won the Daytona 500. Earnhardt won the race on the 50th Anniversary of NASCAR, the 40th Anniversary of the Daytona 500 and his 20th running of the Daytona 500. During a post-race interview he took a stuffed toy monkey and threw it on the ground and said, “Now I have that monkey off my back!”

Ref: 4

Mar 30

Rolls-Royce is purchased by German automaker BMW in a $570 million deal.

Ref: 70

May 07

The parent company of Mercedes-Benz agreed to buy Chrysler Corp. for more than $37 billion.

Ref: 70

Indpls 500 race; Eddie Cheever Jr. wins with an average speed of 145.155 mph

Ref: 5

British land-speed record broken by Richard Brown of 216.55 mph on rocket powered motorcycle.

Ref: 10

1999

Ford Motor Co announced it was buying the Volvo car division in a $6.45B deal. (XDG, p 5A, 1/28/2004)

Ref: 83

Jul 09

The Wall Street Journal runs an article on page B1 on Toyota's Prius and Honda's Insight, hybrid cars running on gasoline and electricity that will get 55 to 80 miles to a gallon and run 850 miles between fill-ups that should be available in the US by June of 2000. The vehicles will cost about $20,000.

Ref: 33

2000

Feb 20

Defending Winston Cup champ Dale Jarrett won his third Daytona 500 in eight years, passing surprise contender Johnny Benson for the lead four laps from the end. Jarrett’s $1,277,975 share of the purse, coupled with a million-dollar bonus from series sponsor Winston, gave him the largest single-day payoff in the history of the sport.

Ref: 4

Mar 27

DaimlerChrysler AG announced it would buy 34 percent of Japan's Mitsubishi Motors Corp.

Ref: 64

The government proposed a rating system telling consumers how prone vehicles are to rolling over.

Ref: 6

Aug 09

Bridgestone/Firestone Incorporated announced it was recalling six and a-half million tires that had been implicated in hundreds of accidents and at least 46 deaths.

Ref: 70

Oct 09

The United Auto Workers and Ford Motor Company reached a tentative agreement on a new contract, hours after a handful of workers walked off the job when a strike deadline passed.(Ref 6)

Ref: 6

2001

General Motors announced the 2002 model year would be the last for the Chevrolet Camaro and the Pontiac Firebird. (XDG, p 4A, 9/25/2002)

Ref: 83

2002

Jan 11

Ford Motor Company announces it was eliminating 35,000 jobs, closing five plants and dropping four models. (XDG, p 4A, 1/11/2003)

Ref: 83

Ward Burton takes advantage of Serling Martin's blunder for his first victory in the Daytona 500. (Marlin, who appeared in control of the race, was penalized for getting out of his car an pulling briefly on a damaged fender during the stoppage.) (XDG, p 4A, 2/17/2003)

Ref: 83

Helio Castroneves wins his second straight Indianapolis 500, despite a protest filed by Paul Tracy. (XDG, p 4A, 5/26/2003)

Ref: 83

2003

Jan 16

A report issued by The Road Information Program (TRIP) shows that traffic from 1991 to 2001 increased 37% while system mileage grew only 5%. (USA Today, p 9A, 1/17/2003)

Ref: 13

Michael Waltrip races past leader Jimmie Johnson to win the rain-shortened Daytona 500 for the second time in three years. (XDG, p 4A, 2/16/2004)

Ref: 83

Jul 31

According to a page 1 snippet on the Wall Street Journal, the last Volkswagon Beetle rolled of the last line in the world. Hitler's "people's car" ends its 68-year run in Mexico with "Bug" No. 21,529,464.

Ref: 33