1915 – Chevrolet Purchases the Mason Motor Company
Chevrolet purchased the financially troubled Mason Motor Company on this day in 1915 after the Michigan-based manufacturer entered receivership. Mason had supplied engines and other components to Chevrolet during the young automaker’s early years, making the acquisition strategically important as Chevrolet expanded production and strengthened its manufacturing capabilities. The deal also reflected the increasingly interconnected group of companies associated with William C. Durant before Chevrolet became part of General Motors.
1951 – Ferrari Scores Its First Formula One Victory
Ferrari earned its first Formula One World Championship victory on this day in 1951 when Argentine driver José Froilán González won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Driving the Ferrari 375, González defeated the previously dominant Alfa Romeo team and gave the young Scuderia a landmark triumph in its second Formula One season. The victory began a record-setting history that would make Ferrari the most successful and enduring team in Formula One.
1955 – Volkswagen Introduces the Karmann Ghia
Volkswagen officially presented the new Karmann Ghia to journalists and dealers on this day in 1955 at the Kasino Hotel in Georgsmarienhütte, West Germany. The elegant Type 14 combined the dependable chassis and air-cooled mechanical components of the Volkswagen Beetle with Italian styling by Carrozzeria Ghia and hand-finished bodywork by German coachbuilder Karmann. Although its performance remained modest, the Karmann Ghia offered buyers exotic looks at an attainable price and became one of Volkswagen’s most beloved models. (Editor’s note: I proudly own my grandfather’s 1974 Ghia, which is undergoing a slow restoration!)
1969 – SEAT Produces Its One-Millionth Automobile
Spanish automaker SEAT completed its one-millionth vehicle on this day in 1969 at its factory in Barcelona. The milestone car was a cream-colored SEAT 124 carrying special “SEAT Un Millón” markings and was driven off the assembly line by Spain’s minister of industry. Displayed alongside the company’s first production model, a 1953 SEAT 1400, the car represented SEAT’s rapid growth and the expanding availability of private automobile ownership in postwar Spain.
1986 – Influential Industrial Designer Raymond Loewy Dies
Raymond Loewy, one of the most influential industrial designers of the 20th century, died at his home in Monte Carlo on this day in 1986 at age 92. His automotive work included major contributions to Studebaker models such as the Champion, Starliner and Avanti, but his influence extended far beyond automobiles to locomotives, appliances, corporate logos, aircraft interiors and the familiar Air Force One color scheme. Loewy helped popularize streamlined design in American consumer culture and became known for the principle that successful products should be “most advanced, yet acceptable.”
