September 18, 1904
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Glidden completed the first crossing of the Canadian Rockies by automobile on this day, arriving exhausted from their 3,536-mile trip. The couple had driven from Boston, Massachusetts, to Vancouver, Canada, in their 24hp Napier.
September 18, 1955
The Ford Motor Company produced its 2,000,000th V-8 engine on this day, 23 years after the first Ford V-8 was manufactured. The popularity of the V-8 engine began in the late 1940s, when the engines of the time failed to satisfy the industry trend toward increased horsepower, experiencing vibration and size problems at the high pressures that accompany high horsepower. Engineers began developing a stiff, V-shaped configuration to combat the new problems, and the V-8 became the preferred choice for auto manufacturers. Trends began to reverse somewhat during the late 1960s with the advent of smaller cars, and four and six cylinder engines began to gain on the popularity of the V-8.
September 18, 2006
Ford bought rights to Rover name from BMW for approximately £6 million. Ironically no Rover branded cars were produced whilst Ford owned the brand. As part of Ford's agreement to sell their Jaguar & Land Rover operations early this year to Tata Motors, the Rover brand name was included in the deal.
Charles Glidden & his wife Lucy Gidden on their 24hp Napier.
Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia