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March 1, 1921 – Cameron Argetsinger, founder of Watkins Glen International, is born
1Mar By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
This Day

March 1, 1921 – Cameron Argetsinger, founder of Watkins Glen International, is born

Cameron Argetsinger, born on this day in 1921, put Watkins Glen, New York on the racing map. Cameron developed a need for speed at a young age, following the purchase of a MG TC in 1947. That car became his membership ticket into the Sports Car Club of America. Cameron, who grew up spending his summers in Schuyler County, NY, dreamed of hosting a sports car race in Watkins Glen. In 1948 he organized the first Watkins Glen Sports Car Grand Prix, though held on a circuit made up of public roads, not a race track. Top: F1 at Watkins Glen in 1974. By Christian Sinclair. CC2.0Above: Cameron Argetsinger in 1948 The event became widely popular, but due to several deaths of drivers and spectators, it ended after eight years. In 1956, as Executive Director of the Watkins Glen Grand Prix ...
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February 28, 1940 – Mario Andretti is born
28Feb By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
This Day

February 28, 1940 – Mario Andretti is born

Racing car driver Mario Andretti was born on this day in 1940 in the former Kingdom of Italy, what is current day Croatia. Andretti made his US racing debut April 25, 1959, just four years after emigrating to the USA. The superstar driver started his racing career in Italy several years prior. It all began in 1953, at age 13, when he joined Italy’s Formula Junior racing league. Mario and his twin brother Aldo were born in Rina, in Montona, Istria, formerly the Kingdom of Italy, now Croatia. After the move to the US, Mario and Aldo took jobs at their uncle’s auto garage in Pennsylvania. There they earned money to purchase and modify a 1948 Hudson Commodore. Above: Andretti in the winners circle of the 1978 Dutch Grand Prix. By Suyk, Koen CC BY-SATop: The Andretti twins' 1948 Hudson ...
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February 27, 2019 – Polestar 2 debuts
27Feb By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
This Day

February 27, 2019 – Polestar 2 debuts

Polestar 2. By M 93, CC BY-SA 3.0 Polestar, a Swedish electric car company that originated as Volvo Cars' racing division, debuted its first all electric vehicle, the Polestar 2, on this day in 2019. Polestar's origins began as Volvo's racing division, but in 2017 Volvo Cars and its Chinese parent company, Geely Holding Group, decided to spin it off as an EV automaker. History of Polestar cars Polestar's roots can be traced to the early 1990s when Volvo established a motorsport department known as Flash Engineering. Flash Engineering later became Polestar Racing and Volvo Cars' official racing partner. In 2009, Polestar Racing made a breakthrough when it created a high-performance version of the Volvo C30 hatchback called the Volvo C30 Polestar Concept. The concept car was a hit...
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Top 5 Craigslist Cars: Week of February 27, 2023- Station Wagon Edition
27Feb By Brian CoreyNo Comments
Cheap Classic Cars

Top 5 Craigslist Cars: Week of February 27, 2023- Station Wagon Edition

In this week's Top 5 we're dropping the tail gate on five station wagons for sale on Craigslist. These are not your average grocery-getters! Whether you're seeking a rare project or a cool cruiser, we're covering all our bases. From Citroen to Chevy, let's take a look. Watch the video below and then find the links to each Craigslist station wagon below. 1953 Ford Customline This cruiser is pretty clean, but the seller states it needs a little bit of bodywork, presumably due to a recent incident. However, they don't show the damage! It's listed on Craigslist near Pittsburgh for $10,000 and they're open to trades. 1963 Citroen Safari Here's true barn find you wouldn't expect out of Portland, Oregon! The seller makes no claims about the mechanical condition of the...
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Found: First Chevrolet Corvette
26Feb By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
Features

Found: First Chevrolet Corvette

The first Corvette (Corey Peterson) For decades it has been believed that the first production 1953 Chevrolet Corvette rolled out of the factory and into the hands of waiting GM engineers. The team poked and prodded the vehicle, looking for ways to improve it. Presumably, after cutting it up and determining what improvements will be implemented on new Corvettes, the car would be sent to the crusher. It turns out this didn't happen. Corvette researcher Corey Peterson tracked down the very first Corvette to leave the Flint assembly line. Read the incredible story of how he found this historic Corvette on Hemmings here.
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February 26, 1725 – The inventor of the automobile is born
26Feb By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
This Day

February 26, 1725 – The inventor of the automobile is born

French inventor Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot, born on this day in 1725, receives credit as the creator of the first self-propelled, land based vehicle. Cugnot, a captain in the French army, had long relied on two wheeled horse drawn fardiers to carry heavy equipment across great distances. This included items such as artillery and arms. As the horses tired, his pace slowed and eventually stopped. He desired to create a vehicle that would move along steadily, uninterrupted by fatigue.  This problem led to the development of his first vehicle. To do so, he created a mechanism that turned the reciprocating motion of a steam piston into rotary motion by means of a ratchet system. His efforts resulted in a small scale “fardier à vapeur,”  a steam powered fardier, in 1769, which had t...
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February 25, 1899 – The first recorded death of an automobile driver
25Feb By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
This Day

February 25, 1899 – The first recorded death of an automobile driver

Edwin Sewell, 31, was an enthusiastic Daimler salesman in the late 1890s who was big on showing off the new form of transportation. When Major James Richer came to his showroom, Sewell knew a demonstration drive through west London would convince the first time automobile buyer that Daimler was the right choice. Instead, as they took their test drive on this day in 1899, Sewell ended up killing himself, earning the distinction of being the first automobile driver to die in an accident, as recorded in Britain. Top: Plaque commemorating the accident.Above: A c.1899 Daimler, similar to the car driven during the accident. Note, that is not Sewell or Richer While descending Grove Hill, one wheel of the vehicle collapsed, causing Sewell to lose control. Both driver and passenger were ...
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February 24, 1973 – AMC Levi edition cars debut
24Feb By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
This Day

February 24, 1973 – AMC Levi edition cars debut

1974 AMC Gremlin X with the Levi's package. By Christopher Ziemnowicz, CC BY-SA 4.0 On this day in 1973 American Motor Corporation (AMC) debuted their latest lineup at the Chicago Auto Show. Among them sat three Levi edition cars, designed in collaboration with Levi Strauss & Co., the famous American clothing company best known for their denim jeans. These special edition cars became an instant hit among car enthusiasts and fashion aficionados alike. Today, they are a true collector's item. AMC Levi Car History The Levi edition cars were initially available in three different models: the Gremlin, Hornet, and Javelin. The interior received unique nylon-spun upholstery that looked like denim, as well as Levi's signature red tab on the glove compartment and the seat belts. These...
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February 23, 1958 – Juan Manuel Fangio is kidnapped
23Feb By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
This Day

February 23, 1958 – Juan Manuel Fangio is kidnapped

Argentinian race car driver Juan Manuel Fangio dominated the first decade of Formula 1, winning the World Drivers’ Championship five times in the 1950s, a record which stood for 47 years. But he wasn’t in the driver’s seat when he made headlines on this day in 1958. It was the day before the Cuban Grand Prix and two men associated with Fidel Castro’s 26th of July Movement entered the Lincoln Hotel in Havana and kidnapped Fangio at gunpoint. They achieved their goal of drawing attention to Castro’s cause by embarrassing the current government of President Batista. Batista ultimately canceled the race due to the hostage situation. Despite the news spreading quickly around the world Batista ordered the race to go on while police searched for Fangio. The captors allowed Fangio to ...
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February 22, 1959 – The first Daytona 500
22Feb By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
This Day

February 22, 1959 – The first Daytona 500

On this day 1959, the first Daytona 500 was held, marking the beginning of what would become one of the most important events on the annual NASCAR calendar. The race has been held every year since then and has been the season opener since 1982. It is also known for having the largest prize purse of any race, making it a coveted event for drivers and teams alike. The inaugural running of the Daytona 500 coincided with the opening of the Daytona International Speedway. Bill France Jr, NASCAR founder, commissioned the track himself. It was specifically designed to be faster and safer than other tracks of its time, and the Daytona 500 would showcase its capabilities. The race, originally named the “First Annual 500 Mile NASCAR International Sweepstakes at Daytona,” attracted many of th...
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This Day in Automotive History is a transportation history, car history and general automotive history website dedicated to providing informative and entertaining content. Our goal is to enlighten our readers by producing and publishing automotive content on a wide range of topics, including famous cars, important automotive inventors and engineers and other historic automobile related events, places and people. We encourage you to share our page and connect with us on Facebook or sign up for our automotive history newsletter at the top of this page. If you have any questions about the content we publish, including our car videos and car history pictures and text and the use of them, please don’t hesitate to contact us using the below email address. On occasion we post classic cars for sale from Craigslist, Facebook and other online marketplaces. We utilize imagery from those ads in a fair use fashion. This includes barn finds for sale, muscle cars for sale, vans for sale, station wagons for sale, trucks for sale and other affordable old cars for sale. If you’d like your car featured, reach out to us!

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