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June 30, 1953 – First production Corvette
30Jun By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
Business

June 30, 1953 – First production Corvette

Automotive history changed forever when the first production Corvette rolled out of General Motors Flint, Michigan assembly facility on this day in 1953. The Corvette started out as a dream car concept developed by famous auto designer Harley J. Earl. He had been working for GM since 1927 when he was hired to redesign the LaSalle. His immediate success led him into a long career that would introduce the world to a number of memorable vehicles, the Corvette being one of the most iconic.   The Corvette was introduced to the public earlier in 1953 at Chevrolet’s traveling Motorama display. It was at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City that the all fiberglass Corvette was first unleashed. Every production 1953 Corvette was a white convertible with red interior and a black canvas top. Th...
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June 26, 1906 – The first French Grand Prix
26Jun By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
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June 26, 1906 – The first French Grand Prix

The 1906 Grand Prix de l'Automobile Club de France, the first Grand Prix event held in France began on this day in 1906. It is commonly referred to as the 1906 French Grand Prix, which took place on closed public roads outside the city of Le Mans. The event lasted more than 12 hours and the race was won by Ferenc Szisz driving for the Renault team. FIAT driver Felice Nazzaro finished second, and Albert Clément was third in a Clément-Bayard. Photo: Renault driver Ferenc Szisz, the winner of the Grand Prix, leads the Hotchkiss of Elliott Shepard
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June 25, 1956 – The last true Packard
25Jun By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
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June 25, 1956 – The last true Packard

The last true Packard rolled off the assembly line on this day in 1956, although the name would be used on re-badged Studebakers through 1958. Packard got its start in 1899 when William Packard built his first automobile in Warren, Ohio, which featured a single cylinder engine. In 1904 the Packard Motor Car Company gained fame when it released a four cylinder aluminum bodied speedster dubbed the Gray Wolf. It was one of the first cars designed for racing that was sold to the general public. By 1916 Packard had established itself as a premier luxury American automaker. It released a revolutionary V-12 engine that year called the Twin Six. That engine would be adapted for aircraft during WWI, called the Liberty Aircraft engine. It is often said to be the most important output of all of Ameri...
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June 22, 1933 – The death of Bentley Boy Tim Birkin
22Jun By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
Business

June 22, 1933 – The death of Bentley Boy Tim Birkin

On this day in 1933 English racecar driver Tim Birkin passed away at Countess Carnavon Nursing Home in London due to complications with a wound and/or malaria. Birkin began motor racing in 1921. Following time away from the track he re-entered in 1927 driving a 3 litre Bentley. He participated successfully in events at places such as Brooklands and Le Mans, and became known as one of the “Bentley Boys.” The Bentley Boys were a group of wealthy British motoring enthusiasts and racecar drivers who utilized Bentley sports in numerous wins throughout the 1920s, helping to keep the marque's reputation for high performance cars alive. Birkin’s death is suspected to be a combination of a septic wound that he received when he burned himself on a hot exhaust pipe weeks before his death and a proble...
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June 19, 1911 – General Motors Export Company
19Jun By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
Business

June 19, 1911 – General Motors Export Company

On this day in 1911 the General Motors Export Company was founded in order to handle international sales of GM products. General Motors was originally founded in 1908 by William C. Durant. Initially, General Motors held only the Buick Motor Company but quickly acquired more than twenty companies including Cadillac, Oldsmobile and Oakland, which was later renamed Pontiac. In 1910 Durant hired Charles Nash to oversee the production of Buick. He quickly became a head honcho at GM as he quickly worked to build revenue for the young and ailing company. He did this through consolidation of truck and part manufacturing, cost-cutting, and working to increase sales. He was also responsible for founding General Motors Export Company on June 19, 1911. In late 1912 Durant was fired by the GM board and...
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June 13, 1953 – Car guy Tim Allen’s birthday
13Jun By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
Business

June 13, 1953 – Car guy Tim Allen’s birthday

(YouTube) Car guy and comedian Tim Allen was born on this day in 1953. Allen starred in the television series Home Improvement in which he fathered three boys while hosting Tool Time, a fictional home improvement TV show. His true to life interest in hot rods became a primary component of the show over the run of the series. In fact, he actually built hot rods on set during filming of the show! Check out this YouTube video to see some of his personal collection! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIT1Ffa27ng
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June 12, 1973 – Jennifer Jo Cobb is born
12Jun By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
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June 12, 1973 – Jennifer Jo Cobb is born

Professional NASCAR racer and team owner Jennifer Jo Cobb was born on this day in 1973. Cobb has competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, ARCA Racing Series and currently participates in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driving the number 10 Chevrolet Silverado. Cobb began racing in 1991 at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas, where her father races in the modified division. She made her NASCAR debut in 2004 in the Busch Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway. She drove the number 50 car, the  Vassarette Chevrolet, for Keith Coleman Racing. She finished 43rd due to a crash on the second lap. Cobb has made the news on a few accounts including being the first person penalized for having a cell phone in their vehicle following the implementation of NASCAR’s no cell phone rule in 2012. She...
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June 7, 2013 – Xiamen bus fire
7Jun By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
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June 7, 2013 – Xiamen bus fire

On this day in 2013 tragedy struck in Xiamen, Fujian province, China when an angry Chinese citizen decided to take his own life in a mass-murder suicide using a local city bus, the Xiamen BRT, as his device to carry out his plan during the evening rush hour. In the attack carried out by Chen Shuizong 47 people were killed and 34 more were injured. The fire had quickly spread to the gas tank, resulting in a massive explosion. Investigations determined the fire broke out in the rear of the bus at 6:22 p.m. local time and was extinguished at 6:50 p.m. Despite the bus running on diesel traces of gasoline were found on the bus, leading investigators to believe that arson was at play. Police identified Shuizong as the suspect in what is one of China’s greatest automotive related mass-murders the...
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June 5 – The first race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
5Jun By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
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June 5 – The first race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

It’s easy to assume that the first competition at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway would be a race involving automobiles, or at least motorcycles. However, on this day in 1909 the first competitive event at the raceway began, it was a race amongst manned, gas filled balloons. Track founder Carl Fisher was anxious to generate revenue for himself and his investors, so he held a balloon race before the track which was designed for automobiles before it was even finished. Fisher was fascinated with aviation and wanted to participate in the race himself. In order to do so, and so he could host the National Balloon Championship, he formed the Aero Club of Indiana and received his balloon pilot’s license, just the 21st person to do so in America. He worked with his mentor, George Bumbaugh, to deve...
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June 4 – 1896- Ford tests the Quadricycle
4Jun By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
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June 4 – 1896- Ford tests the Quadricycle

On this day in 1896 Henry Ford test drove his first vehicle, the Quadricycle. It was named such due to the fact that it used four bicycle tires. He rolled the 2 cylinder, 4 horsepower vehicle out of his workshop after more than two years of experimentation. It featured a 2 speed transmission, without reverse, and a chain driven, ethanol powered engine. During his initial test drives he hit a whopping 20 miles per hour! Today the original Quadricycle is at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Ford sold his first Quadricycle for $200 in 1896 to Charles Ainsley. He later built two more Quadricycles: one in 1899, and another in 1901. He later bought his first one back for $60. The success of the vehicle led to him founding the Ford Motor Company in 1903. The rest, as we know, is histor...
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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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