This Day in Automotive History

[Landrover]

December 22, 1900
A new 35hp car built by Daimler from a design by Emil Jellinke was completed. The car was named for Jellinek's daugher, Mercedes. As such the Mercedes was born on this very day.

December 22, 1952
On this day in 1952, the first Corvette, a production-ready prototype, is completed. The design of the sports car, which has since become an American classic, is said to have cost between $50,000 and $60,000 to build.
General Motors chief William Durant decided to produce a small sports car after a visit to Europe in 1951 during which he saw his European counterparts doing the same. In fact, the first Corvette is believed to have been modeled after a Jaguar. Legendary automobile stylist Harley Earl was tasked with the design project, which was originally codenamed “Opel.” The eventual name “Corvette” came from a type of small, lightly armed warship used by most Allied navies during World War II.
After completing production on December 22, the first Corvette was shipped to New York City, where it made its public debut at the GM Motorama show at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on January 17. The first regular-production model was rolled out on June 30, 1953. Just over 300 Corvettes were assembled—-by hand—-in Flint, Michigan, that first year. Only about half of them sold; the rest were given away to company executives and VIPs.

Mercedes 35hp

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia​

 

[Landrover]

December 23, 1923
Former President Woodrow Wilson receives a a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Pall Mall touring car for his birthday. It's a gift from friends.

December 23, 1969
Gregory Jack Biffle was born Vancouver, Washington. He is a very sucessfull NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver who drives the #16 3M Ford Fusion for Roush Fenway Racing. He now lives in Mooresville, North Carolina. He has 34 combine win is various Nextel/WInston/Busch series Cup under his belt

Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost at The Woodrow Wilson House, Wasington DC.

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia​

 

[Landrover]

December 24, 1801
Richard Trevithick drove three-wheeled steam-powered vehicle carrying seven passengers up a hill in Camborne, Cornwall, England; one of first automobiles in history; high-pressure steam engine was lighter, more powerful than low-pressure engine invented by James Watt; used to hoist loads in mines, drive locomotives and ships, run rolling mills. Trevithick sometimes called "Father of the Steam Locomotive."

December 24, 1893
Henry Ford completed his first useful gas motor; at the time Ford was chief steam engineer at the main Detroit Edison Company plant with responsibility for maintaining electric service in the city 24 hours a day.

December 24, 1898
Louis Renault, then just 21, drove his A-type Voiturette, with first direct-drive variable-ratio transmission (3-speed gearbox allowed more power in lower gears, more speed in higher gears vs. chain - drive system), up steep (13% slope) Rue Lepic in Montmartre, Paris. It resulted in first 12 orders.

December 24, 1903
England issued its first automobile license plate, number A1. The plate was issued to Earl Russel, the brother of the philosopher Bertrand Russell.

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia​

 

[Landrover]

December 25, 1878
Louis-Joseph Chevrolet was born on December 25, 1878 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Canton of Neuchâtel, Switzerland.

December 25, 1909
Zora Arkus-Duntov, a Belgian-born U.S. automotive engineer was born in Brussels. His work on the Chevrolet Corvette earned him the nickname "Father of the Corvette".

December 25, 1985
On Christmas Day, David Turner and Tim Pickhard arrived in John o' Groat's, Scotland, the northernmost point in Great Britain. They had set out four days earlier from Land's End, the southernmost point in Britain, in a battery-powered Freight Rover Leyland Sherpa driven by a Lucas electric motor. They traveled 875 miles on a single battery charge, completing the longest battery-powered drive in history.

Louis Chevrolet


Zora Arkus-Duntov and 1957 Chevrolet Corvette SS

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia
motortopia.com​

 

[Landrover]

December 26, 1926
The first overland journey across Africa from south to north was completed when the expedition of Major C. Court Treatt arrived in Cairo, Egypt. Major Treatt had set out from Capetown, South Africa, some 27 months earlier in two military-style Crossley automobiles. After the difficult trek across unmapped regions, the hero's safe arrival in Cairo was a major treat for everyone.

December 26, 1933
The Nissan Motor Company was organized in Tokyo under the name Dat Jidosha Seizo Co. (It received its present name the next year). Nissan began manufacturing cars and trucks under the name Datsun. During World War II, Nissan was converted to military production, and after Japan's defeat operated in a limited capacity under the occupation government until 1955. Since then, Nissan has grown into one of the world's premier car companies.

December 26, 1985
The Ford Motor Company had trouble in the early 1980s. Its trucks were selling well, but its line of cars were unpopular and had terrible reputations. The company lost $3.3 billion from 1980 through 1982. As the losses piled up, Ford's engineers were working feverishly to redesign their line of mid-size cars. Ford turned out a redesigned Thunderbird and Tempo and managed a profitable year. And on this day in 1985, Ford introduced the Taurus, the product of years of engineering. The distinctively streamlined car became enormously popular, lifting Ford to record profits in the late 1980s. The rounded "jellybean" shape of the Taurus had a strong influence on the designs of other automakers in the next few years.

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia​

 

[Landrover]

December 28, 1954
During the early 1950s, the fastest stock car in the U.S. was the Hudson Hornet, the pride of the Hudson Motor Car Company. Drivers in Hudson Hornets took virtually every major NASCAR event, and the wins paid off in sales. That got the attention of the Big Three: Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors. They began supporting stock-car racers the way Hudson did, and soon began to win. In an effort to stay ahead, Hudson merged with the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation, which let Hudson replace the Hornet's old flat-six engine with the big Nash V-8, providing more power. The first Hudson Hornet with a Nash engine was offered on this day in 1954. But the new Hornet didn't handle as well, and the Big Three kept improving. After 1954 the Hudson Hornet's fortunes declined quickly.

December 28, 1957
The 2,000,000th Volkswagen was finished on this day in 1957. Begun 30 years earlier by the Nazi regime, the German automaker and its economical Beetle overcame their unpleasant pasts and began selling in the United States.

1954 Hudson Hornet

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia​

 

[Landrover]

December 29, 1800
Charles Goodyear was born on this day. Today he is famous for the invention of vulcanized rubber. In its natural form, rubber is sticky, and gets runny when hot, and stiff when cold. Goodyear discovered accidentally that when rubber is mixed with sulfur and heat-treated, it loses its adhesiveness but keeps its elasticity, even at extreme temperatures. He called the process "vulcanization." The industrial use of rubber is possible only because of vulcanization. Goodyear's process made millions of dollars, but not for him. Widespread infringements on his patents, together with poor luck in business, left him deep in debt at his death in 1860.

December 29, 1908
Otto Zachow and William Besserdich of Clintonville, Wisconsin, received a patent for their four-wheel braking system, the prototype of all modern braking systems. Zachow and Besserdich were also the inventor of the very first successful four-wheel drive (4x4) car, the "Battleship", in 1908. The following year they opened their auto company, Badger Four-Wheel Drive Auto Company.

December 29, 1983
Arnold Schwarzenegger was cited for driving without a license after he drove his Jeep into a ditch with Maria Shriver aboard. No one was hurt.

December 29, 1989
Actor Christian Slater, stopped a second time for drunk driving, wrecked his car, fled from the police on foot, and, when caught, kicked a police officer on this day in 1989.

December 29, 2005
General Motors's stock traded at 20-year low of $18.33.

Charles Goodyear

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia​

 

[Landrover]

December 30, 1905
French driver Victor Hemery, driving a gasoline-powered Darracq automobile, set a new land-speed record in Arles-Salon, France. He reached a speed of 109.589mph. Hemery's record stood until 1906, when American Fred Marriot set a record of 121.573 in a steam-powered Stanley.

December 30, 1936
Strikes closed seven General Motors factories in Flint, Michigan. The giant automaker employed upwards of 200,000 men, and more than one in six of them stopped working during the strike. The United Automobile Workers of America, a labor union, was quarrelling with GM over the right to bargain collectively with manufacturers. The work stoppage was so large that it threatened to force layoffs in the steel, glass, and battery-manufacturing industries, due to reduced demand.

December 30, 1940
California's first freeway, the Arroyo Seco Parkway connecting Los Angeles and Pasadena, was officially opened.


Victor Hemery

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia​

 

[Landrover]

December 31, 1909
A graceful 1,470-foot span across the East River opened to traffic on this day. The Manhattan Bridge was the fourth bridge between Manhattan and the boroughs across the river.

December 31, 1936
Sit-down strike at GM's Fisher Body Plant became center stage for all unskilled labor struggles as GM moved to legally block strike, evict workers from its facilities; state government, under direction of Governor Frank Murphy, protected rights of workers to bargain collectively; workers invoked Wagner Act, GM forced to settle, recognized union, signed contract; first victory by unskilled laborers in America's largest industry.

December 31, 1941
America's last automobiles with chrome-plated trim were manufactured on this day. Starting in 1942, chrome plating became illegal. It was part of an effort to conserve resources for the American war effort. The chrome wasn't missed too much. Virtually no automobiles were produced in the U.S. from 1942 through the end of World War II.

December 31, 1955
General Motors announced net income of $1,189,477,082 for the year; first Auto Corporation to earn more than a billion dollars in a fiscal year.

The Manhattan Bridge

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia​

 

[Landrover]

​

January 1, 1853
First successful U.S. steam fire engine, named Uncle Joe Ross after city councilman who championed it, began service in Cincinnati, OH; invented by Abel Shawk and Alexander Latta took nine months to build at a cost of $10,000.

January 1, 1919
Edsel Ford succeeded his father, Henry Ford, as president of the Ford Motor Company. That same day, the company announced that it would increase its minimum wage to $6.00 per day. Henry Ford made history in 1914 by increasing the minimum wage in his factories to $5.00 per day, far more than his competitors were paying.

January 1, 1937
Safety glass in windshields became mandatory in Great Britain. Unlike ordinary glass, safety glass shatters into thousands of tiny pieces when it breaks, instead of large jagged sheets. In early automobile accidents, ordinary glass windows often turned into large, deadly blades. Broken safety glass is relatively harmless. The most common type of safety glass is a sandwich in which a layer of clear, flexible plastic is bonded between two layers of glass. It was first produced in 1909 by French chemist Edouard Benedictus, who used a sheet of clear celluloid between glass layers. Various plastics were tried over the years. In 1936, a plastic called polyvinyl butyral (PVB) was introduced. It was so safe and effective that it soon became the only plastic used in safety windows. The British government was so impressed by the safety record of PVB windows that it required their use by law.

January 1, 1942
The U.S. Office of Production Management prohibited sales of new cars and trucks to civilians. All automakers dedicated their plants entirely to the war effort. By the end of the month, domestic car manufacture had stopped. Automobile plants were converted wholesale to the manufacture of bombers, jeeps, military trucks, and other gear.

January 1, 1952
Colin Chapman founded Lotus Engineering Company in Norfolk, England; first production car - Lotus, the Mark VI.

January 1, 1961
McNamara resigned from Ford to become secretary of defense for the new administration of President John F. Kennedy.

Edsel Ford


Colin Chapman with a Lotus Esprit S2

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia​

 

[jayadev]

landrover,

wow,excellent thread.

this thread brings upon a universe of nostalgic feelings.make me peep into the soul of automobiles.

kudos to you .

wishing you a happy and prosperous new year.

 

[Landrover]

January 2, 1969
Robert W. Gordon an American racing driver, was born in Bellflower, California. He competed in three Dakar rally, scoring over 8th in 2007 driving Hummer H3.

January 2, 1994
The Chrysler Corporation introduced the Neon compact car on this day. The Neon, a sporty plastic-bodied economy car, quickly became a popular car, particularly among young drivers.

Robert W. Gordon with Monster Energy Hummer H3

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia​

Thank you very much!!

 

[Landrover]

January 3, 1899
An editorial in the The New York Times made a reference to an "automobile" on this day. It was the first known use of the word.

January 3, 1921
The Studebaker Corporation announced that it would no longer build farm wagons. Studebaker began in 1852 as a horse-drawn wagon shop. Over the following years, the company became the world's single biggest manufacturer of horse-drawn carriages and carts. In 1897, Studebaker began experimenting with the newfangled "horseless carriage." By 1902, the company had produced several electric automobiles; and by 1904, gasoline-powered motorcars were rolling out of Studebaker factories. Throughout the early twentieth century, Studebaker remained one of the biggest names in the automobile business. In 1954, Studebaker merged with the Packard Motor Car Company. Production of Studebaker automobiles ended in 1963 in the U.S., and in 1966 in Canada.

January 3, 1926
General Motors introduced the Pontiac brand name on this day. The new Pontiac line was the descendant of the Oakland Motor Car Company, acquired by General Motors in 1909.

First Pontiac, a 1926 Coupe with leatherette top, Serial#1

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia​

 

[Landrover]

January 4, 1921
International Motor Company registered MACK trademark first used October 13, 1911 for trucks.

January 4, 1937
Nash Motors merged with Kelvinator Corporation, manufacturer of high-end refrigerators and kitchen appliances. The new company was named Nash-Kelvinator Corporation with George W. Mason as President.

January 4, 1955
The 1955 Packards were introduced to the public on this day. Corvettes and Thunderbirds were upping the horsepower ante, and Packard struck back with the Packard Caribbean, the first V-8 Packard and the debut of highly stylized cathedral taillights. The era of the mighty tailfin was beginning.

January 4, 1990
The Lincoln Town Car was named Car of the Year by Motor Trend magazine. It was the first luxury sedan to win that title in 38 years.

January 4, 1996
General Motors announced that it would release an electric car, the EV-1, in the fall. The EV-1 was sold through GM's Saturn dealerships, and met with modest success. While sales have been quite modest by the standards of internal-combustion cars, the EV-1 is the best-selling electric consumer car of its time.

General Motors EV1

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia​

 

[Landrover]

January 5, 1904
Ransom Eli Olds retired from Olds Motor Works on this day. Olds had founded the company in 1899 with financial help from Samuel L. Smith, a lumber tycoon. Olds made the most profitable car in the early 1900s, the tiller-steered Oldsmobile Runabout. In 1904, Olds was approached by his head of engineering, Henry Leland, who had designed a lighter, more powerful engine that could improve the Runabout dramatically. Olds refused to use the new engine, to the dismay of his backer, Samuel Smith. Smith forced Ransom Olds out of the company. Olds went on to found the Reo Motor Car Company, and Oldsmobile went on without him. Henry Leland, the clever engineer, took his motor elsewhere: it powered the world's first Cadillac.

January 5, 1914
Henry Ford established a minimum wage of $5.00 per day in his automobile factories. These wages were twice what Ford had paid the year before, and much more than Ford's competitors were paying. The lofty minimum wage was made possible by Henry Ford's manufacturing breakthrough: the constant-motion assembly line, which carried moving cars past lines of workers. The first modern assembly line, Ford's process allowed him to build cars faster and cheaper than anyone else could. The profits rolled in, and Ford's workers shared in the wealth: an ironic beginning for an auto company that would go on to be a notorious enemy of labor in the 1930s and 1940s.

January 5, 1924
Walter Chrylser, a General Motors executive who had pioneered the introduction of all-steel bodies in automobiles (instead of wood), introduced his first motorcar. After his departure from GM in 1920, Chrysler had breathed new life into the failing Maxwell Motor Company. The first Chrysler-built Maxwell was put on display in New York City's Commodore Hotel, where it drew admiring crowds. In 1925, the Maxwell Motor Company was renamed the Chrysler Corporation.

Walter P. Chrysler next to a Chrysler Six, c. 1924

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia​