1923 – Enzo Ferrari Wins His First Race
Long before founding the company that bears his name, Enzo Ferrari captured his first racing victory on this day in 1923, winning a 166-mile event in Ravenna, Italy. The race proved pivotal not only because it marked Ferrari’s emergence as a successful driver, but because it was there that he met Countess Paolina Baracca, mother of World War I flying ace Francesco Baracca. She suggested Ferrari adopt her son’s famous prancing horse emblem, a symbol that would later become one of the most recognizable logos in automotive history.
1928 – E.L. Cord Founds the Cord Corporation
Automotive entrepreneur Errett Lobban Cord established the Cord Corporation on this day in 1928, bringing together an empire that included Auburn, Duesenberg, Lycoming, and numerous other transportation and manufacturing interests. Under Cord’s leadership, the company produced some of the most technologically advanced and visually striking automobiles of the era, including the revolutionary front-wheel-drive Cord 810 and 812.
1946 – The First Car Phone Call Is Made
The connected car era began surprisingly early when the first car-phone call was placed on this day in 1946. Using equipment that filled much of a vehicle’s trunk and relied on a tiny number of available radio channels, early mobile telephone systems were expensive and limited. Nevertheless, the technology represented the beginning of a communications revolution that would eventually lead to smartphones, navigation systems, and today’s always-connected automobiles.
1981 – The Final Mercedes-Benz 600 Is Built
An era of automotive excess and prestige ended on this day in 1981 when the last Mercedes-Benz 600 rolled off the assembly line. Introduced in 1963, the hand-built 600 became the transportation choice of royalty, heads of state, celebrities, and industrialists around the world. Featuring a complex hydraulic system that powered everything from windows to seats and limousine partitions, the “Grand Mercedes” remains one of the most luxurious and technically ambitious automobiles ever produced.
1994 – The O.J. Simpson Bronco Chase Captivates America
One of the most-watched events in television history unfolded on this day in 1994 when former football star O. J. Simpson rode in the back of a white Ford Bronco during a low-speed police pursuit through Southern California. Broadcast live to millions of viewers, the chase interrupted regular programming across the United States and became a defining media moment of the 1990s. The white Bronco itself became an unlikely automotive icon, forever linked to one of the most famous criminal cases in American history.
