This Day In Automotive History

[SirAlec]

October 1, 1908
Beginning in 1903, Henry Ford and his engineers struggled for five difficult years to produce a reliable, inexpensive car for the mass market. It wasn't until their 20th attempt, christened the Model T after the 20th letter in the alphabet, that the fledgling Ford Motor Company hit pay dirt. On this day, the Ford Model T was introduced to the American public, and Ford's affordable revolution had begun. Affectionately known as the "Tin Lizzie," the Model T revolutionized the automotive industry by providing an affordable, reliable car for the average American. Ford was able to keep the price down by retaining control of all raw materials, and by employing revolutionary mass production methods. When it was first introduced, the "Tin Lizzie" cost only $850 and seated two people, and by the time it was discontinued in 1927, nearly 15,000,000 Model Ts had been sold.

Model T Line Up


Model T assembly line


A fully preserved 1912 example

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia

[SirAlec]

October 2, 1947
On this day, the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) formally established F1 racing in Grand Prix competition for the first time. Technological leaps made during World War II had rendered pre-war racing rules obsolete, so the Formula One guidelines were established in order to encompass the new type of racing, faster and more furious than anything the racing world had ever seen. Formula One was initiated for cars of 1,500cc supercharged and 4,500cc unsupercharged, and the minimum race distance was reduced from 500km to 300km, a change that allowed the famous Monaco Grand Prix to be reintroduced into official Grand Prix racing. In 1950, Giuseppe "Nino" Farina, driving an Alfa Romeo 158, won the first Formula One World Championship at the Silverstone British Grand Prix, and racing's most thrilling tradition was born.

October 2, 1948
On this day, law student Cameron Argetsinger's vision of bringing European style racing competition to the place where he spent his summer vacations became a reality. Under the guidance of Argetsinger and the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), the village of Watkins Glen, located in the scenic New York Finger Lakes region, hosted its first automobile races along a challenging course that encompassed asphalt, cement, and dirt roads. It was the first post-World War II road race in the United States, and Frank Griswold, driving a 2.9 liter prewar Alfa Romeo, won both events offered, a 26.4-mile Junior Prix, and the 52.8-mile Grand Prix. Cameron Argetsinger competed as well, driving an MG-TC, but proved to be a better racing organizer than actual participant. The Watkins Glen Grand Prix went on to have a prestigious history as a racing venue, hosting a variety of premium racing events through the years.

Cameron Reynolds Argetsinger


Cameron R. Argetsinger is in his Healey Silverstone at the 1950
Watkins Glen Grand Prix. With him is his mechanic, Tony Weinberg.

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia

[SirAlec]

October 3, 1912
In the first professional racing victory for a car fitted with a Duesenberg engine, race car driver Mortimer Roberts won the 220-mile Pabst Blue Ribbon Trophy Race, held in and around the village of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. The engine was designed by Duesenberg brothers who had immigrated to Iowa from Germany in the late-nineteenth century. After honing his mechanical talents by repairing early automobiles, Frederick Duesenberg became enthralled with the prospect of motor racing, and with his brother August opened an automobile shop. After establishing their reputation with engines and other racing parts, the Duesenberg brothers began construction of the first complete Duesenberg racing cars. The first great racing triumph of one of their cars came in 1921 when a Duesenberg was driven to victory in the 24-Hour event at Le Mans, France. The mid-1920s found the Duesenbergs in the racing world's spotlight, especially at the Indy 500, where their cars won the event outright in 1924, 1925, and 1927. But the Duesenberg's most significant contribution to automotive history came after automobile manufacturer E.L. Cord bought Duesenberg Motors in 1926, with the sole purpose of obtaining the design expertise of Fred Duesenberg. Cord wanted to produce the most luxurious car in the world, and in 1928, the Duesenberg-designed Model J was presented, widely considered to be one of the finest automobiles ever made.

October 3, 1961
The United Auto Workers (UAW) called the first company-wide strike against Ford Motor Company since the Ford's first union contract was signed in 1941. During the late 1930s, Ford was the last of the Big Three auto firms still holding out against unionization, and it employed strong-arm tactics to suppress any union activity. In 1937, tension between Ford and its workers came to a head at the "Battle of the Overpass," an infamous event where Ford's dreaded security force beat union organizers attempting to pass out UAW leaflets along the Miller Road Overpass in Dearborn, Michigan. Several people were brutally beaten while many other union supporters, including 11 women, were injured in the melee that followed. It took four more years of struggle and a 10-day strike before Ford agreed to sign its first closed-shop contract with the UAW, covering 123,000 employees. The ascension of Henry Ford II, Henry Ford's grandson, to the Ford leadership position in 1945 brought a period of stability in Ford-UAW relations, especially after Henry Ford II fired the powerful Personnel Chief Harry Bennett, whose anti-union stance had made Ford notorious for its bad labor relations. But in 1961, negotiations between the Ford Motor Company and the UAW fell apart again, and it took 17 days of striking before a tenuous three-year agreement was signed.

UAW Strike

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia

[SirAlec]

October 4, 1946
Berna Eli "Barney" Oldfield, an automobile racer and pioneer died on this day at the age of 68. He was the first man to drive a car at 60 miles per hour (96 km/h). His accomplishments led to the expression "Who do you think you are? Barney Oldfield?"

October 4, 1983
Sarah Marie Fisher, an American professional race car driver competing in the IndyCar Series was born in Columbus, Ohio. She was the youngest woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500 at age 19 in 2000.

October 4, 1983
After nearly 20 years of domination by Americans, British racer 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 633.468mph over the one-mile course in Nevada's stark Black Rock Desert, breaking the 631.367mph speed record achieved by Gary Gabelich's Blue Flame in 1970. Previous to Gary Gabelich there was Craig Breedlove, the American driver who recorded a series of astounding victories in jet-powered vehicles during the 1960s, breaking the 400mph, 500mph, and 600mph barriers in 1963, 1964, and 1965, respectively. In 1997, Breedlove and Noble returned to Black Rock Desert again, this time in a race to break the elusive 700mph barrier. On September 25, team leader Noble watched as British fighter pilot Andy Green set a new land-speed record in their Thrust SSC vehicle, jet-powering to an impressive 714.144mph over the one-mile course. But the greatest victory for the British team came on October 13 of that same year, when Andy Green roared across Black Rock Desert at 764.168mph, or 1.007 percent above the speed of sound. Appropriately, the first shattering of the sound barrier by a land vehicle came on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the first supersonic flight, achieved by American pilot Chuck Yeager in 1947.

October 4, 1992
Denis Clive "Denny" Hulme, a New Zealand car racer who won the 1967 Formula One World Champion for the Brabham team died on this day, While competing in Bathurst 1000, held at the famous Mount Panorama track in Australia.
In the 1992 event he was sharing a Benson & Hedges-sponsored BMW M3 with Paul Morris. After complaining of blurred vision Hulme suffered a massive heart attack at the wheel whilst travelling part the way down the 200-mph Conrod Straight. After veering into the wall on the right side of the track, he managed to bring the car to a relatively controlled stop sliding against the safety railing and concrete wall. When marshals reached the scene they found Hulme still strapped in, dead.

Barry Oilfeild along with henry Ford


Sarah Marie Fisher


Sir Richard Noble


Richard Noble with his Thrust 2


Dennis Hulme

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia
speedace.info

[SirAlec]

October 5, 1919
On this day, 21-year-old Enzo Ferrari made his racing debut, finishing 11th in the Parmo-Poggia di Berceto hill climb in a Costruzioni Meccaniche Nazionali (CMN) vehicle. Ferrari became a professional driver after World War I, and joined the CMN in Milan as a test and racing-car driver in 1919. The following year, Ferrari moved to Alfa Romeo, establishing a relationship that lasted two decades and a career that took him from test driver to the director post of the Alfa Racing Division. In 1929, he founded the Scuderia Ferrari, an organization that began modestly as a racing club, but by 1933 had entirely taken over the engineering-racing division of Alfa Romeo. In 1940, Ferrari transformed the Scuderia into an independent manufacturing company, the Auto Avio Costruzioni Ferrari, but construction of the first Ferrari vehicle was delayed until the end of World War II. In 1947, the Ferrari 125S was introduced to the racing world, and it won the prestigious Coppa Enrico Faini in the same year. Thus began an impressive 40 years of racing success under the leadership of Enzo Ferrari, a tradition that saw Ferrari vehicles earn 25 world titles, and win over 5,000 events at race tracks around the world.
Unique thing about Enzo is that he used to build and sell his car so that he could race. Unlike other who enter racing to sell their cars.

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia

[SirAlec]

October 6, 1888
William Steinway, car enthusiast, son of Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (Henry Steinway, piano manufacturer), acquired licensing rights from Gottlieb Daimler to manufacture Daimler cars in U.S. He founded the "Daimler Motor Company", began producing Daimler engines, importing Daimler boats, trucks, other equipment to North American market.

October 6, 1926
Duesenberg Company was incorporated into the Auburn-Cord company. Frederick (design) and August Duesenberg began working toward E L. Cord's dream of the ultimate luxury automobile.

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia

[SirAlec]

October 7, 1913
Ford introduced continuously moving assembly line to assemble chassis in Highland Park automobile factory, assembly was divided into 29 operations performed by 29 men spaced along moving belt. This systems reduced man-hours to complete one "Model T" from 12 1/2 hours to six (reduced to 93 man-minutes in a year; eventually, one Model T produced every 24 seconds), drastically reduce the cost of the Model T, made car affordable to ordinary consumers.

October 7, 1976
Marc Coma, Spanish motorcycle racer was born in Avià, Barcelona He won the Dakar Rally in 2006 riding a KTM motorcycle. He is also the World Champion in the Rallies Cross Country Motorcycles Tournament in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

October 7, 2007
Norifumi "Norick" Abe, a Japanese Moto GP racer died in a traffic accident while riding a 500 cc Yamaha T-Max scooter in Kawasaki, Kanagawa. He collided with a truck, which made an illegal U-turn in front of him, at 6:20pm local time. He was pronounced dead two and a half hours later at 8:50pm at the hospital where he was taken for treatment.

Ford Assembly Line




Marc Coma


Norifumi "Norick" Abe

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia

[SirAlec]

October 8, 1955
William Clyde Elliott most famously known as Bill Elliot was born in Dawsonville, Georgia. Elliott was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America on August 15, 2007. He won the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Championship and has garnered 44 wins in that series.

Bill Elliot



Bill Elliott's car that set the record for the fastest recorded time in a stock car - 212.809 mph at Talladega Superspeedway.

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia

[SirAlec]

October 9, 1915
Racer Gil Anderson set a new auto speed record on the opening day of races at the Sheepshead Bay Speedway, located in Brooklyn, New York. Driving a Stutz automobile, Anderson achieved an average speed of 102.6mph over a 350-mile course, breaking the 100mph barrier while setting a new speed record for such a distance. Anderson was participating in the celebrated Vincent Astor Cup event, an annual auto race that attracted thousands of auto enthusiasts to Sheepshead Bay for several decades.

October 9, 1992
On this day, thousands of people in the Eastern United States witnessed an above-average-size meteorite enter the Earth's atmosphere with a sonic boom, and burst into flames as it streaked across the sky over several states. Photographed and videotaped by over a dozen people, the fireball flew over an open football stadium before crashing into Peekskill, New York, a small city 50 miles north of New York City. The 30 pound, football-size meteorite struck a 1980 Chevy Malibu parked in a driveway, penetrating the trunk of the car and missing the gas tank by inches. The owner of the totaled automobile reportedly expressed wonder at the fact that an object in orbit around the sun for millions of years ended up in the trunk of his Chevy, but worried if his insurance would cover the damage.


Andersen's No.28 car (second from left), preparing for the 1916 Indy500
race.


Chevy Malibu's trunk (Credit & copyright: Pierre Thomas)


Video Link of Meteorite
fireball, meteorite, bolide en video et photo : Video Peekskill

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia
fireball.meterrite.free.fr

[SirAlec]

October 10, 1930
Eugenio Castellotti was born in Lodi, Italy. He used to race for Ferari and later for Lancia. Castellotti was considered the greatest Italian driver after Alberto Ascari.

October 10, 1948
Ted Horn, an American race car driver was involved in a serious accident at DuQuoin, Illinois during the second lap. He was taken to the hospital alive but died a short time later. He was 38. He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1993.

October 10, 1974
Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Jr., a NASCAR driver was born in Kannaplois, North Carolina. He currently drives the #88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet Impala SS in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series for Hendrick Motorsports.

Eugenio Castellotti


Eugenio Castellotti along with Enzo


Ted Horn


Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Jr

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia

[SirAlec]

October 11, 1928
Spanish racer Don Alfonso Cabeza de Vaca y Leighton, Carvajal y Are, the 17th Marquis de Portago and 13th Conde de la Mejorada, was born on this day in London, England. Better known as Marquis Alfonso de Portago, the Spanish nobleman became interested in motor racing as a young man, soon finding his way into some of the world's most prestigious and dangerous racing events, owning more to his social standing than his racing skills. For a two-year period beginning in 1956, the reckless Marquis Alfonso drove for the Lancia Ferrari team, managing to rack up four points in five Grand Prix starts, but failing to win any race. In 1957, Alfonso brought tragedy to the classic Mille Miglia event, a 1,600-kilometer race from Brescia to Rome and back, when he lost control of his Ferrari and plunged into a crowd of spectators. Alfonso, his co-driver Ed Nelson, and 10 spectators died in the accident, bringing to an end the 30-year tradition of the Mille Miglia. Twenty years after the Marquis' tragic run along the course, the event was revived, and to this day the Mille Miglia attracts thousands to the streets of Italy to watch a nostalgic run of classic racing cars.

October 11, 1967
David Starr, a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver was born in Houston, Texas. He made his first start in 1998 and got his first win in 2002 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on his way to his best points finish, 5th. He grabbed 2 more wins in 2004. He currently drives for Red Horse Racing the #11 Toyota Tundra.

Alfonso Antonio Vicente Eduardo Angel Blas Francisco de Borja Cabeza de Vaca y Leighton marquis of Portago, a.k.a. Alfonso de Portago.


Memorial to victims of Mille Miglia where the fatal crash happened


David Starr


David Starr's #11 Toyota Tundra

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia

[SirAlec]

October 12, 1932
Ned Jarrett, two time NASCAR champion was born October in Newton, North Carolina. Jarrett was best known for his calm demeanor, and he became known as "Gentleman Ned Jarrett".

October 12, 1940
Tom Mix, the highest-paid actor in silent films during the 1920s, and unquestionably the best-known cowboy star of the era, perished in a car accident in Arizona. Driving at about 80mph, Mix lost control of his car after hitting a dirt detour, and was instantly killed. Many took solace in the fact that Mix died in the Old West that he had depicted in film so many times, still wearing his cowboy costume from a performance the previous day.

October 12, 1993
The Camry was first introduced by the Toyota Motor Company in 1983 as a replacement for its Corona Sedan. Hoping to follow in the path of the popular Toyota flagship, the Cressida, the roomy and durable Camry immediately proved a best-seller, faring well against the likes of the Honda Accord and domestic U.S. compacts. In the late '80s, the Camry, now Toyota's most popular model, saw an upsized redesign, boasting a new twin-cam 2.0 liter 4-cylinder engine with 16 valves and a much greater horsepower potential than the previous model. In 1992, the Camry was again stylishly redesigned, approaching mid-size while maintaining its original efficiency. On this day, a decade after it was first introduced, the one-millionth Camry rolled off a Toyota assembly line. Four years later, in 1997, the Toyota Camry became the best-selling car in America.

Ned Jarrett


Tom Mix


Tom Mix memorial.

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia

[SirAlec]

October 13, 1953
The "Artmobile," a novel way of exposing fine art to the public, was conceived of and designed by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts located in Richmond, Virginia. On this day the Artmobile, the world's first mobile art gallery, began touring Virginia with an exhibition of art objects, making its first stop in Fredericksburg. The Artmobile was an all-aluminum trailer, measuring over 30 feet in length with an interior height of nearly 80 feet.

October 13, 1997
Less than three weeks after breaking the elusive 700mph land-speed barrier, British fighter pilot Andy Green set a new land-speed record in the Thrust SuperSonic vehicle, jet-powering through the sound barrier along a one-mile course in Nevada's Black Rock Desert. Coached by previous land-speed record-holder and Thrust team leader Richard Noble, Green roared across Black Rock Desert at 764.168mph, or 1.007 percent above the speed of the sound. An hour later, Green flashed across the dusty desert floor again, moving 1.003 percent faster than the speed of sound. The second run was required before the feat could be officially entered into the record book, a requirement that may have prevented past records. In 1979, at Edwards Air Force Base, American Stan Barrett is reputed to have reached 739.666mph, or Mach 1.0106, in a rocket-engined three-wheeled car called the Budweiser Rocket. But the speed was unsanctioned by the United States Air Force, and the official record remained unbroken until Green's historic run. Appropriately, the first official breaking of the sound barrier by a land vehicle came on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the first supersonic flight, achieved by American pilot Chuck Yeager in 1947.

Andy Green


Andy Green with Ron Ayres


The Team

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia

[SirAlec]

October 14, 1857
Automotive pioneer Elwood Haynes was born on this day in Portland, Indiana. After training as an engineer and a chemist at John Hopkins University, Haynes returned to his native Indiana and began experimenting on a carriage powered by an internal engine. In 1894, he completed construction on one of America's earliest automobiles, a one-horsepower, one-cylinder vehicle, and on Independence Day of that year drove it through the streets of Kokomo, Indiana, on its trial run. Today, this automobile is preserved in the Smithsonian Institution as the oldest U.S. automobile in existence. For the next few decades, Haynes continued to make improvements to the new science of automobile manufacturing, including a successful carburetor, the first use of aluminum in automobile engines, and the first muffler.

October 14, 1909
Bernd Rosemeyer, a German racing driver was born in Lingen, Lower Saxony, Germany. He used to race for Auto Union.
He was killed at an early eage of 28, during a world speed record attempt on the Autobahn between Frankfurt and Darmstadt, on January 28th 1938.

Elwood Haynes in his first car in 1894


His 1894 Car gifted to the Smithsonian Institute. It is powered by a one-cylinder one-horsepower marine engine. Haynes and Apperson began commercial manufacture of automobiles in 1898. Its white tires are typical of that era.


Bernd Rosemeyer


Bernd Rosemeyer in an Auto Union C Type at Donington in 1937

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia

[SirAlec]

October 15, 1964
While trying to set a new one mile land-speed record, Craig Breedlove inadvertently set another kind of record after he lost control of the Spirit of America jet-powered car on the Bonneville Salt Flats testing area in Utah. The vehicle began a skid moments into the run, taking nearly six miles to decelerate from an initial speed of well over 400mph. When the dust cleared, Breedlove emerged shaken from the vehicle as the not-so-proud record-holder for the longest skid marks ever recorded. Nevertheless, Breedlove, who already held the land-speed record, did manage to break the 500mph speed barrier that year, just as he had broken the 400mph barrier the year before, and just as he would surpass 600mph in the year following.

October 15, 1978
Lee Iacocca was ousted from Ford.

Craig Breedlove

Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia