This Day in Automotive History

[Landrover]

1st August

August 1st 1903
The first cross-country auto trip, from New York City to San Francisco, was completed on this day in 1903. The trail was blazed by a Packard, which finished in a mere 52 days. Since then, countless Americans have embarked on the cross-country trek, driving from coast to coast.

August 1st 1910
The state of New York issued its first license plates on this day in 1910. Massachusetts, the first state in the nation to issue plates, had been doing so since 1893, when it introduced iron plates with the registration number etched on top. The current New York plate, which features the Statue of Liberty, has been in use since 1986.

August 1st 1941
Jeep is born on this day. Parade magazine called it "...the Army's most intriguing new gadget...a tiny truck which can do practically everything." During World War I, the U.S. Army began looking for a fast, lightweight all-terrain vehicle, but the search did not grow urgent until early 1940. At this time, the Axis powers had begun to score victories in Europe and Northern Africa, intensifying the Allies' need for an all-terrain vehicle. The U.S. Army issued a challenge to automotive companies, requesting a working prototype, fit to army specifications, in just 49 days. Willy's Truck Company was the first to successfully answer the Army's call, and the new little truck was christened "the Jeep." General Dwight D. Eisenhower said that America could not have won World War II without it. Parade was so enthusiastic about the Jeep, that, on this day, it devoted three full pages to a feature on the vehicle.

August 1st 2006
Market share of Detroit auto companies fell to 52% in July 2006, lowest point in history (52.2% in October 2005). Auto sales figures showed that Toyota passed Ford Motor Company to rank as the second-biggest-selling auto company in the U.S. Honda outsold DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler group for the first time. General Motors held a 27% share of the auto market and Chrysler - 10%.

August 1st 2007
On this day in 2007, Citibank opens China's first drive-through automated teller machine (ATM) at the Upper East Side Central Plaza in Beijing.
Like those of drive-through restaurants and drive-in movies, the origins of drive-through banking can be traced to the United States. Some sources say that Hillcrest State Bank opened the first drive-through bank in Dallas, Texas, in 1938; others claim the honor belongs to the Exchange National Bank of Chicago in 1946. The trend reached its height in the post-World War II boom era of the late 1950s. Today, nearly all major banks in the United States offer some type of drive-through option, from regular teller service to 24-hour ATMs.
Drive-through banking, like other developments in automobile-centered culture, caught on a bit later in the rest of the world. Switzerland, for example, didn't get its first drive-through bank until 1962, when Credit Suisse--then known as Schweizerische Kreditanstalt (SKA)--opened a branch in downtown Zurich featuring eight glass pavilions with drive-through banking services. Though popular at first, the branch faltered in the 1970s, when traffic problems in the city center made fewer people willing to do their banking from their cars. SKA closed the drive-through in 1983.
In December 2006, five years after joining the World Trade Organization, China opened its retail banking sector to foreign competition. Under the new regulations Citibank became one of four foreign banks--along with HSBC, Standard Chartered and Bank of East Asia--approved to provide banking services using the Chinese currency, renminbi. (Often abbreviated as RMB, renminbi literally means "people's money.") The agreement had been signed in the fall of 2006, and by early December Citi had already opened 70 regular ATMs across the Chinese mainland.
Initially, the Citibank drive-through ATM that opened in Beijing in August 2007 was available only to holders of bank cards issued abroad, as foreign banks were not yet allowed to issue their own cards in China. Other banks soon hopped on the drive-through banking bandwagon in China, including China Construction Bank, which opened the first drive-through ATM in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou in May 2008.

Ford GPW/Willys MB

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia​

 

[*Arkin_Young*]

July 30th
Wow! I didn't know the Beetle was manufactured until 2003! I thought it was manufactured until somewhere around 1999. BTW, I have an exact scale model of the last Beetle. What car did Louise Smith crash?

 

[Landrover]

2nd August

August 2nd 1950
The Ford Motor Company created the Defense Products Division in order to handle the large number of government contracts related to the Korean War. The conversion from automobile manufacture to weapons production had already been made several times in history, including during World War II, when civilian automobile production in the U.S. virtually ceased as manufacturers began turning out tanks instead.

August 2nd 1987
This fateful day in 1987 witnessed the fastest race in Indy car history to that date, when Michael Andretti won the Marlboro 500 at the Michigan International Speedway with an average speed of 171.490mph. Andretti broke the record previously set by Bobby Rahal at 170.722mph. Incidentally, one of the drivers that Andretti sped past on that day was his father and fellow driver, Mario Andretti.

August 2nd 1990
Sven-Erik Soderman, driving an Opel Kadett at Mora, Sweden, set a world's record in stunt driving on this day in 1990. Soderman reached a speed of 102.14mph while driving his car on two side wheels.

Mario (left) with nephew John (right) at the 2007 Indianapolis 500


Soderman 2-Wheel stunt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrNqAl_G-6g

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia​

 

[Landrover]

August 3rd 1900
The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company was established in Akron, Ohio, on this day in 1900. Thirty-one-year-old inventor and entrepreneur Harvey S. Firestone seized on a new way of making carriage tires and began production with only 12 employees. Eight years later, Firestone tires were chosen by Henry Ford for the Model T, and Firestone eventually became a household name. Firestone is now owned by Bridgestone.
In May 2000, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration contacted Ford and Firestone about the high incidence of tire failure on Ford Explorers, Mercury Mountaineers, and Mazda Navajos fitted with Firestone tires. Ford investigated and found that several models of 15" Firestone tires had very high failure rates, especially those made at Firestone's Decatur, Illinois plant. This was one of the leading factors to the closing of the Decatur plant.
In a 2001 letter to Ford Motor Company Chief Executive at the time Jacques Nassar, then Chairman / CEO of Bridgestone/Firestone announced that Bridgestone/Firestone would no longer enter into new contracts with Ford Motor Company, effectively ending a 100-year supply relationship.

August 3, 1926
The first traffic lights in Britain were installed at Piccadilly Circus.

August 3rd 1938
The famous English circuit Brooklands hosted its final race on this day in 1938, ending the track's 32-year history. It opened in 1907, and was the world's first oval-style motorsport venue and was also one of Britain's first airfields. Nowadays it plays host to an aviation and motoring museum, as well as various vintage car rallies.

August 3rd 1941
Although the U.S. had not yet entered World War II at this time, gasoline rationing began in parts of the eastern United States on this day in 1941. The rationing would spread to the rest of the country as soon as the U.S. joined the Allied forces, and the production of cars for private use halted completely in 1942. Measures of a similar sort had already taken place in most European countries.

August 3rd 1977
On this day in 1977, "The Spy Who Loved Me," starring Roger Moore as the suave superspy James Bond, known for his love of fast cars and dangerous women, is released in theaters across America. The film features one of the most memorable Bond cars of all time--a sleek, powerful Lotus Esprit sports car that does double duty as a submarine.

The Firestone Factory, Ohio


Lotus Esprit S1 with Roger Moore, Barbara Bach, a promotional shot for movie "The Spy who loved me"


Modified Lotus Spirit S1 as submarine.

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia
lotusspiritturbo.com​

 

[Landrover]

August 4th 1898
On a visit to the Winton plant with his brother James, William D. Packard was taken for a test-drive in one of the company's vehicles, accompanied by George L. Weiss, a Winton executive. Packard ended up purchasing the Winton, to his later regret. The Packards' disappointing experience with the Winton prompted them to build their own car and establish the Ohio Automobile Company in 1900, which would later become the Packard Motor Company.

August 4th 1957
Juan Fangio won his last auto race and captured the world auto driving championship for the fifth consecutive year on this day in 1957. Fangio, born in Argentina and of Italian descent, won the World Championship a record five times, as well as capturing 24 Grand Prix titles. He began his career as a mechanic, but eventually started racing in South America with a car he built himself. After his retirement from racing, Fangio went to work for Mercedes-Benz in Argentina.

August 4th 1957
On this day in 1957, the Italian automaker Fiat (short for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino) debuts the "Nuova Cinquecento," a redesigned version of a model that it first released in 1936.
Founded in 1899 by Giovanni Agnelli, Fiat had dominated the Italian auto industry since the early 20th century. When Fiat's first 500-cc car--known as "Il Topolino" (the Italian name for Mickey Mouse)--came on the scene, it was the smallest mass-produced car on the market, with space for two people, a tiny luggage capacity and a top speed of 53 mph. In the years following World War II (during which Fiat made many of the vehicles used by Italian forces under Benito Mussolini), the company sought to capitalize on the need for affordable family cars by revamping the 500. The Nuova Cinquecento was a two-cylinder rear-engined four-seater; like the German Volkswagen Beetle, it was intended as an Italian "people's car." Like the Beetle, the 500 was became a symbol of a country and a people, an emblem of "la dolce vita" in post-war Italy. Some 3.5 million new 500s were sold between 1957 and 1975, when Fiat halted production.
By 2004, Fiat--once the largest carmaker in Europe--was struggling financially due to stiff competition from Volkswagen and other companies. That year, Sergio Marchionne took over as the company's chief executive; he soon ended Fiat's largely unsuccessful five-year partnership with General Motors and would be praised by investors for the subsequent revival of the company's fortunes. A critical step in this turnaround was the launch of the new Cinquecento in 2007. Designed by Frank Stephenson (already famous for the redesign of another classic, the Mini Cooper), the new 500 was based on the mechanical elements of the popular Fiat Panda, but modified significantly. Though its retro styling evoked its iconic predecessor, the strong performance and extensive safety features (including seven airbags) were all its own.
On July 4, 2007--50 years to the day after Giacosa's famous car debuted--several thousand VIP guests, including Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, were among the 100,000 spectators who gathered in Turin to celebrate the launch of the Nuova Cinquecento. The lavish ceremony featured a fireworks display and a waterborne carnival procession along the Po River. Two years later, Fiat completed an alliance with Chrysler after the struggling American automaker was forced to file for federal bankruptcy protection. Under the terms of the partnership, Fiat owns a 20 percent share of Chrysler (which could eventually grow to at least 35 percent).


August 4th 1971
Jeff Gordon, a stock-car driver known as "The Kid," was born on this day in 1971. Gordon raced onto the NASCAR scene in 1997 by winning the Winston Cup season points championship for a prestigious second time at the age of 26. "The Kid" was also the first driver to win the Southern 500, NASCAR's oldest race, three years in a row. His clean-cut California image was initially disliked by many racing fans, who tended to prefer the gritty personas of traditional stock-car drivers. However, Gordon had talent, an aggressive driving style, and a knack for publicity, which drew many new fans to the sport.

Fiat 500, Nuova Cinquecento


Jeff Gordon

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia​

PS: Was the forum disabled yesterday (3rd Aug)

 

[AMG]

PS: Was the forum disabled yesterday (3rd Aug)

http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/announcements/1996-tai-has-now-moved-new-high-capability-servers.html

 

[Landrover]

5th August

August 5th 1882
The Standard Oil Company of New Jersey was established on this day as part of the giant Standard Oil Trust. The trust had been organized earlier in the year, bringing together John D. Rockefeller's oil empire under one central management, run by Rockefeller and an "inner circle." The Standard Oil Trust became the first great monopoly in American history, eventually acquiring 90 percent of the world's oil refining capacity before it was ordered to dissolve in 1892. Rockefeller was infamous for his ruthless business tactics, and it was rumored that he often threatened to put local merchants out of business unless they bought Standard Oil.

August 5th 1914
The first traffic light was installed at the intersection of Euclid Avenue and East 105th Street in Cleveland, Ohio. Earlier roads, shared by horses, cars, and streetcars, were chaotic. As accidents and traffic increased it became apparent that some rules of the road were required. The traffic light was only one of several improvements to arrive in this period--the traffic island was introduced in 1907, dividing lines appeared in 1911, and the "No Left Turn" sign debuted in 1916


August 5, 1947
Ferdinand Porsche was released from a French prison on this day in 1947. Porsche had been arrested as a suspected Nazi collaborator by United States and French occupation authorities in the aftermath of World War II and held in custody for two years. He would live to see his 75th birthday


August 5, 1990
On this day in 1990, Amos Neyhart, an engineering professor who established the first driver education courses in the United States in the 1930s, dies in a Pennsylvania nursing home at the age of 91.
Neyhart joined the faculty of Pennsylvania State University in 1929 as an assistant professor of industrial engineering. (He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at the same institution.) Around 1931, when a drunk driver hit Neyhart's parked car, he became convinced of the need for teenagers to be educated in how to drive properly. Parents lacked the necessary objectivity and patience to teach their children to drive, he believed, and they also often unknowingly passed along their own bad driving habits. Neyhart began by teaching volunteer students from State College High School; he used his own 1929 Graham-Paige automobile, which he had specially fitted with dual brake and clutch linkages. In 1933, he established a formal course at the high school, and he soon developed a teacher-preparation program. In 1934, Neyhart published "The Safe Operation of an Automobile," the first textbook on driver education.
Neyhart's pioneering work in Pennsylvania soon caught on across the country. By 1968, according to an article that year in The New York Times, accredited driver education courses were offered in more than 71 percent of the nation's high schools. A study completed at the time by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles found that graduates of such courses were involved in 22 percent fewer accidents and had 50 percent fewer driving violations than non-graduates, and most insurance companies had begun granting discounts to accredited young drivers.
Beginning in the late 1930s, Neyhart served as a consultant on driver education for the American Automobile Association (AAA); he was also director of Penn State's Institute of Public Safety in Continuing Education. Presidents Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson all named him to national traffic safety committees during their administrations. In 1988, Neyhart was inducted into the Safety and Health Hall of Fame International.

Standard Oil Refinery No. 1 in Cleveland, Ohio, 1899

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia​

 

[*Arkin_Young*]

Soderman 2-Wheel stunt
YouTube - Söderman 2-Wheel Stunt

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia​

How on earth did he manage to do that? What car is that, and who is that guy?

 

[Shynish M]

How on earth did he manage to do that? : Practice!
What car is that? : Volvo 740
who is that guy? : Sven-Erik Söderman (Sweden)

 

[*Arkin_Young*]

How on earth did he manage to do that? : Practice!
What car is that? : Volvo 740
who is that guy? : Sven-Erik Söderman (Sweden)

Thanks a ton Shynish.

 

[Landrover]

6th August

August 6th 1928
Chung Se Yung, a cofounder of the Hyundai Motor Company, was born on this day in Kangwon Province, Korea. Hyundai, which was founded in 1967, is one of the largest auto manufacturers in the world, actively exporting to 160 countries. Its international network consists of 145 independent importers and distributors, as well as several subsidiaries, such as Hyundai Motor America.

August 6th 1932
Richard Hollingshead Jr. first registered his patent for the drive-in movie theater on this day. Tired of ordinary movie houses, Hollingshead wanted to create a theater where parents could bring the children in their pajamas, avoid baby-sitters, and relax in the comfort of their own car while watching a Friday night film. Hollingshead was awarded the patent in May of the following year, though it was declared invalid in 1950. After the patent was revoked, thousands of drive-ins appeared on the American landscape, reaching a high of 4,063 in 1958.

August 6th 1957
The Chevrolet Corporation registered the Corvair name for its new rear-engine compact car on this day in 1959. Corvairs became quite controversial--people either loved them or hated them. The car was accused of being "unsafe at any speed," with much criticism directed toward its handling, even though a 1972 government study later exonerated the Corvair. Today, the Corvair is considered rare and collectable and has been called one of the most significant cars in automotive history.


August 6th 1958
The great Argentine race car driver Juan Manuel Fangio, winner of five Formula One driver's world championships, competes in his last Grand Prix race--the French Grand Prix held outside Reims, France--on this day in 1958.
Fangio left school at the age of 11 and worked as an automobile mechanic in his hometown of San Jose de Balcarce, Argentina before beginning his driving career. He won his first major victory in the Gran Premio Internacional del Norte of 1940, racing a Chevrolet along the often-unpaved roads from Buenos Aires to Lima, Peru. In 1948, Fangio was invited to race a Simca-Gordini in the French Grand Prix, also at Reims, which marked his European racing debut. After a crash during a road race in Peru that fall killed his co-driver and friend Daniel Urrutia, Fangio considered retiring from racing, but in the end returned to Europe for his first full Formula One season the following year.
In Formula One, the top level of racing as sanctioned by the Fédération International de l'Automobile (FIA), drivers compete in single-seat, open-wheel vehicles typically built by large automakers (or "constructors," in racing world parlance) and capable of achieving speeds of more than 230 mph. Individual Formula One events are known as Grands Prix. Fangio signed on in 1948 with Alfa Romeo, and won his first Formula One championship title with that team in 1951. Over the course of his racing career, he would drive some of the best cars Alfa-Romeo, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari and Maserati ever produced. Capturing four more Formula One titles by 1957, Fangio won an impressive 24 of 51 total Grand Prix races.
Reims, famous for its 13th-century cathedral, hosted the oldest Grand Prix race, the French Grand Prix, at its Reims-Gueux course a total of 14 times (the last time in 1966). In the race on July 6, 1958, the British driver Mike Hawthorn--who would win the driver's world championship that season, but die tragically in a (non-racing) car accident the following January, at the age of 29--took the lead from the start in his 2.4-liter Ferrari Dino 246 and held on for the win. Fangio, driving a Maserati, finished fourth, in what would be the last race before announcing his retirement at the age of 47. The 1958 French Grand Prix also marked the Formula One debut of Phil Hill, who in 1960 would become the first American driver to win the world championship.


August 6th 1991
Peugeot SA announced its withdrawal from the United States market, due to lagging sales. The major French automotive manufacturer and holding company has been in existence since 1896 and is presently headquartered in Paris.

Chung Se Yung, a cofounder of the Hyundai Motor Company


1960 Chevrolet Corvair 700 Sedan


Corvair's innovative flat-6 engine.

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia​

 

[Landrover]

7th August

August 7th 1915
Driving a Peugeot, race-car driver Dario Resta broke the 100mph speed barrier on this day in 1915. He broke the record while winning the 100-mile Chicago Cup Challenge Race at the Maywood Board Speedway in Chicago. With an average speed of 101.86mph, this was the first event in which such speeds had been attained for a race of this length in the U.S.

August 7th 1927
The last Dodge Convertible Cabriolet, produced as a sporty car, was discontinued on this day in 1927. The Cabriolet was in production for only four months after its debut.

August 7th 1974
French daredevil Philip Petit walked across a tightrope strung between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City on this day in 1974. The stunt caused a massive traffic jam on the streets below.

August 7th 2000
On this day in 2000--eight weeks to the day after the fourth-generation NASCAR driver Adam Petty was killed during practice at the New Hampshire International Speedway, New Hampshire--the driver Kenny Irwin Jr. dies at the same speedway, near the exact same spot, after his car slams into the wall at 150 mph during a practice run.
At 19, Adam Petty was in his second season in the Busch Series and was planning to move to the Winston Cup circuit full time the following year. He finished 40th in his first Winston Cup race in April 2000, three days before the death of his great-grandfather, Lee Petty, a pioneer of NASCAR (the acronym stands for National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing). On May 12, during a practice session to qualify for the following day's Busch 200 in Loudon, the youngest Petty's car crashed head-on into a wall while traveling at 130 miles per hour. He was airlifted to Concord Hospital, where he was pronounced dead of head trauma.
A native of Indianapolois, Indiana, Kenny Irwin Jr. won Rookie of the Year honors for the NASCAR Winston Cup series in 1998, earning one fifth-place finish and four top-10s while driving the famous No. 28 Texaco Havoline Ford for the Robert Yates Racing team. (Among the celebrated previous drivers of the No. 28 were Ernie Irvan and Davey Allison.) After Irwin racked up three more top-five finishes in 1999, including third place in the Daytona 500, he Irwin left the Yates organization and joined a team owned by Felix Sabates. In a car sponsored by BellSouth, he ran a total of 17 races, still seeking a win.
On July 7, 2000, the 30-year-old Irwin was killed instantly when his car hit the wall on Turn 3 of the New Hampshire International Speedway; it flipped over and landed on its roof before coming to a halt. As in the case of Petty's crash, speculation as to the cause focused on a stuck accelerator, which would have prevented both drivers from slowing enough to make the turn. As The Chicago Tribune reported, some drivers pointed out that the track was one of the slickest on the NASCAR circuit, with no margin for error on the tight turns. On the other hand, Petty's grandfather, the NASCAR icon Richard Petty, dismissed those charges, attributing the two similar crashes to "circumstances beyond human control…circumstances with the way you stop that thing so quick. Your body just can't stand it."

Dario Resta


Dario Resta's Peugeot


Philip Petit





Kenny Irwin Jr

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia
ign.com​

 

[Landrover]

8th August

August 8th 1907
The Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost passed its 15,000-mile official trial with flying colors, showing off its seven-liter engine and four-speed overdrive gearbox. It was this trial that made "the Ghost's" reputation and gave the Rolls-Royce the name "The Best Car in the World." A total of 6,173 Silver Ghosts were produced.

August 8th 1954
Nigel Mansell, the Formula-1 racer, was born on this day in Birmingham, West Midlands, England. Mansell won 29 Grand Prix titles between 1980 and 1992. He retired from Formula-1 racing in 1992 to join the Haas-Newman Indy car racing team in the U.S., becoming an Indy car champion within his first year. He later returned to Formula-1 racing.

August 8th 1986
The last episode of the TV show Knight Rider aired on this day. The program featured David Hasselhoff as private eye Michael Knight, but the real star of the show was "KITT," his talking car. KITT was a modified Pontiac Firebird, complete with artificial intelligence and glowing red lights. KITT assisted Michael on his crime-fighting missions, communicating with him through a remote device Michael wore on his wrist.

August 8th 1991
James B. Irwin, pilot of the Lunar Roving Vehicle, died on this day. Irwin visited the surface of the moon during the Apollo 15 mission in 1971, during which he spent almost three days on the moon's surface investigating the Hadley-Apennine site, 462 miles north of the lunar equator. The Lunar Rover was a specially designed vehicle used to transport Irwin and David Scott around the moon's surface while collecting rocks and core samples. Irwin died at the age of 61.

August 8th 2004
On July 8, 2004, Suzuki Motor Corporation and Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports magazine, agree to a settlement in an eight-year-long lawsuit in which the automaker accused Consumer Reports of damaging its reputation with claims that its Samurai sport utility vehicle (SUV) was prone to rolling over.
In July 1988, a Consumer Reports product review judged the Samurai as unacceptable because of its propensity to tip during sharp turns. (The magazine based this conclusion on the car's performance in avoidance-maneuver tests.) Suzuki stopped making the Samurai in 1995. The following year, the company filed the lawsuit, accusing Consumer Union of rigging the test and perpetrating consumer fraud. The automaker sought $60 million in compensation and unspecified punitive damages. Suzuki's case included testimony from a former Consumers Union employee who served for 10 years as a technician in the company's auto testing group, as well as videotapes and records of automobile testing that date back to 1988. The videos showed, among other things, that the testing personnel had driven the Samurai through the course no fewer than 46 times before getting it to tip up on two wheels on the 47th, a result that was met by laughing and cheering from the group.
A federal judge dismissed Suzuki's lawsuit without a trial, but in September 2002 an appeals court ruled that a jury should hear the case. In April 2000, Consumers Union had won a jury trial over a lawsuit filed by Isuzu Motor, which claimed that Consumer Reports magazine had rigged a test involving its Trooper SUV in order to make the vehicle tip over. In November 2003, U.S. Supreme Court rejected a Consumers Union appeal in the Suzuki case, and the case was headed for a jury trial in California before the settlement was reached the next July.
No money changed hands in the agreement. Though Consumers Union did not issue an apology--"We stand fully behind our testing and rating of the Samurai," David Pittle, vice president for technical policy at Consumers Union, said--it made a "clarification," stating that the magazine's statement that the Samurai "easily" rolls over during turns may have been "misconstrued or misunderstood." The agreement also stated that Consumers Reports "never intended to imply that the Samurai easily rolls over in routine driving conditions" and had spoken positively of other Suzuki models such as the Sidekick and the Vitara/XL-7. For its part, Suzuki claimed the settlement as a win for its side: Company officials said it would allow them to concentrate on growing Suzuki's business in the United States, including building national sales to 200,000 vehicles by 2007, compared with 58,438 in 2003.

AX201 at Cat and Fiddle Hill during the Scottish Reliability Trial 1907


Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost at the Centenary celebrations at the Midland Hotel Manchester in 2004.


Nigel Mansell


David Hasselhoff with KITT


James B. Irwin


James B. Irwin with Lunar Rover.

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia​

 

[Landrover]

9th August

August 9th 1898
Rudolf Diesel, of Berlin, Germany, received a U.S. patent for an "Internal Combustion Engine" ("improvements in apparatus for regulating the fuel supply in slow-combustion motors and, in particular to internal combustion engines").

August 9th 1901
The first rally race in Ireland, sponsored by the Irish Automobile Club, was held on this day as 12 automobiles attempted an organized journey from Dublin to Waterford. A rally takes place over a specified public route with a driver and navigator straining to maintain a breakneck pace from checkpoint to checkpoint. The course is generally kept secret until the race begins. Rally racing became extremely popular after World War II, and weekend rallies became common worldwide. The longest rally took place in 1977, spreading over 19,239 miles from London to Sydney.

August 9th 1918
Following the lead of countries all over the world, the U. S. government ordered automobile production to halt by January 1, 1919, and convert to military production. Factories instead manufactured shells, and the engineering lessons of motor racing produced light, powerful engines for planes. Manufacturers turned out staff cars and ambulances by the hundreds. In fact, World War I has often been described as the war of the machines.

August 9th 1962
The Chrysler Corporation was the forst Auto Company to set an industry milestone by announcing for 1963 a five-year, 50,000-mile warranty covering all of its cars and trucks.


August 9th 2006
The Fiat 500 Club Italia, an organization formed in appreciation of the iconic 500--"Cinquecento" in Italian--car produced by the automaker Fiat (Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino), holds what the Guinness Book of World Records will call the world's largest parade of Fiat cars on July 9, 2006, between Villanova d'Albenga and Garlenda, Italy.

Rudolf Diesel


US Patent of Diesel (#US Patent 608845)


The First Diesel Engine, 1897


Fiat Parade, 2006

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia
Guinness World Records - Home of the Longest, Shortest, Fastest, Tallest facts and feats​

 

[Landrover]

August 10th 1897
C. Harrington Moore and Frederick R. Simms founded Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland, later known as the Royal Automobile Club. Its the oldest auto club.

August 10th 1907
Stretching nearly 10,000 miles, this Peking-to-Paris race lasted for 62 days, and was won on this day by the team of Prince Scipione Borghese and Ettore Guizzardi of Italy. Driving like a madman across Asia and Europe, Prince encountered brush fire, got stuck in a swamp, numerous crash and was pulled over by a policeman in Belgium. The policeman refused to believe that the prince was racing, rather than merely speeding.
There were no rules in the race, except that the first car to reach Paris would win the prize of a magnum of Mumm Champagne. The race went without any assistance through country where there were no roads or road-maps. For the race, camels carrying fuel left Peking and set up at stations along the route to give fuel to the racers. The race followed a telegraph route so that the race was well covered in newspapers at the time. Each car had one journalist as a passenger, with the journalists sending stories from the telegraph stations regularly through the race.

August 10th 1986
The Hungarian Grand Prix, the first such race held behind the Iron Curtain, was won by Nelson Piquet on this day driving the Williams-Honda. Held at the twisty Hungaroring near Budapest, the race has been a mainstay of the racing calendar. Run in the heat of a central European summer, it also holds the distinction of being the only current Grand Prix venue that had never seen a wet race up until the 2006 Hungarian Grand Prix. The first Grand Prix saw 200,000 people spectating even though the tickets were expensive at the time.

Peking to Paris & Prince Borghese

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia
William Medcalf Ltd. - Restorers of Vintage Bentley Motor Cars​