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September 16, 1920 – The first Lincoln automobile
16Sep By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
Features, This Day

September 16, 1920 – The first Lincoln automobile

npcc.30643 1915 National Photo Company Henry Leland founded Lincoln Motor Company in 1917 to produce Liberty V12 aircraft engine for the US involvement in World War I. Leland, who also founded Cadillac in 1903, was able to fund the company after receiving a $10 million government contract to produce the engines. By the time the war concluded, the company's Detroit plant had been the final assembly location of more than 6,500 airplane motors made of parts sourced from Ford, Cadillac, Packard and other automakers. Since their contract ended with the war, Leland and his son planned a transition into building luxury automobiles. While retooling their facility they officially reorganized as an automaker in January of 1920. Just nine months later, on this day in 1920, the first Lin...
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September 3, 1875 – Ferdinand Porsche is born
3Sep By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
Features, This Day

September 3, 1875 – Ferdinand Porsche is born

Ferdinand Porsche, International Motorsports Hall of Fame member and Car Engineer of the 20th Century, was born on this day in 1875 in current day Czech Republic. Aside from founding Porsche, this is the man responsible for some of the world’s most beloved and distinguished automobiles. His first automotive creation, an electric-gas hybrid vehicle known as the Lohner-Porsche Mixte, debuted in 1898. It was the first mass produced hybrid vehicle to combine these two power sources and it was manufactured from 1900 to 1905. A 1902 draft saw Porsche enter military service where he served as chauffeur to Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the crown prince of Austria. His assassination would ignite WWI a decade later. Above: The Lohner-Porsche Mixte Hybrid. Top: Ferdinand Porsche with a...
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August 9, 1996 – The inventor of the jet engine dies
9Aug By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
Features, This Day

August 9, 1996 – The inventor of the jet engine dies

Gloster E28-39 prototype Frank Whittle spent much of his childhood with his nose tucked into books on engineering, turbines and the theory of flight. His readings bred a keen interest in the relatively new subject of airplanes. So much so, that at age 15 he enlisted in the Royal Air Force. The RAF, then only 5 years old, accepted the youngster after he scored highly on the entrance exam. He reported to RAF Halton as an Aircraft Apprentice in a training program for RAF ground crew. Only two days after his service began he failed the medical exam due to his small stature. Thankfully, puberty struck, but even a growth spurt wouldn’t be enough to help him achieve his dream of flying. Above: Frank WhittleTop: Gloster E.28/39 Within six months Whittle grew three inches and added ...
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August 2, 1967 – 1970 Chevelle Clay Model documented
2Aug By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
Features, This Day

August 2, 1967 – 1970 Chevelle Clay Model documented

With the 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle being one of the most well-known and sought after muscle cars, it's funny to think what could have been. These shots from Super Chevy magazine, the first dated August 2, 1967, apparently offer a glimpse into the alternate designs the mid-sized muscle car could have carried for the 1970 model year. Is it just me, or does that first shot look more like a Monte Carlo or another heavy Chevy? In any case, we ended up with the iconic Chevelle we know today. What details catch your eye?
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July 12, 1933 – The Dymaxion car
12Jul By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
Features, This Day

July 12, 1933 – The Dymaxion car

With a name that rings of bully characters in ‘80s coming of age movies, Buckminster Fuller, born in 1895, was quite the opposite. The Massachusetts raised philosopher, engineer and architect lived his life as, well, as he put it, “an experiment to find what a single individual can contribute to changing the world and benefiting all humanity.” His way of living resulted in a number of inventions, among them the Dymaxion car, a name that combines  dynamic, maximum, and tension. The first prototype of the unique vehicle rolled out of a Bridgeport, Connecticut, factory on this day in 1933. Above: The Dymaxion car, c. 1933. Top: The Dymaxion. By Starysatyr - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 The car came three years after the completion of his Dymaxion house. Fuller’s house (see what I did the...
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5 Missing Cars Worth Big Bucks that are Waiting to be Found
10Jul By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
Features

5 Missing Cars Worth Big Bucks that are Waiting to be Found

Grab your shovel, we're going treasure hunting! There's no sunken ships, buried chests or X's on maps to guide this adventure. Oh, no, our mission is all about finding automotive gold. You've heard the tales, true and false, about automotive archeologists finding the industry equivalent of Tut's tomb, right? Well, it could still happen to you. The following five automotive icons have no final record of meeting the wrecker, which means these missing cars may still be out there, waiting to be found and cherished once again. 1956 Oldsmobile Golden Rocket From 1949 to 1961 the General Motors Motorama was the must-attend auto event of the year. Held annually in conjunction with the New York International Auto Show, these massive productions were a mix of show, entertainment and ...
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July 8, 1969 – Dodge strike rocks Detroit; adds focus to civil rights movement
8Jul By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
Features, This Day

July 8, 1969 – Dodge strike rocks Detroit; adds focus to civil rights movement

On this day in 1968 the Dodge Revolutionary Union Movement (DRUM), which consisted of black auto workers, went on a wildcat strike to protest working conditions at Dodge’s Hamtramck assembly plant. A wildcat strike is one that is supported or endorsed by the leadership of the Union of which the workers are members of, in this case the United Auto Workers.  At the time of the strike it was estimated that 70 percent of the workers at the plant were black, yet it was exceedingly rare for black men or women to rise to any sort of management position or higher within the auto industry.  The strike was observed by some 4,000 workers, lasted two and half days and prevented the production of 3,000 cars. In the subsequent Local 3 union election, DRUM ran as an alternative slate, but it did ...
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June 27, 1985 – Route 66 is decertified
27Jun By Brian CoreyNo Comments
Features, This Day

June 27, 1985 – Route 66 is decertified

The “Main Street of America,” U.S. Route 66, was officially decertified on this day in 1985 when the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials voted to remove all of its highway signs. The road, which was completed and given a highway designation in 1926, stretched from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California, over the course of roughly 2,200 miles.  The road was originally constructed along a path forged in 1857 by U.S. Navy Lieutenant Edward Beale and his pack of camels. Before Route 66 became a highway the path had grown popular as a passageway for people heading west in the growing country. Over the years, horses and wagons gave way to cars and trucks. By the 1950s, new multi-lane highways were being built all across the country as part of a...
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The Mystery Tucker 48s
25Jun By Brian CoreyNo Comments
Features

The Mystery Tucker 48s

Burned. Boxed. Buried. Warning, this story may make your stomach churn. While I've long been a fan of the Tucker story and the cars, this installment of that Tucker tale has evaded me, until now. I dove into this rabbit hole as soon as I laid eyes on old photos of a crispy 1948 Tucker 48 floating around the web. It wasn't long before I learned this Tucker, one of 51 completed at the factory, ended up buried in someone's yard. Chances are, it's nothing but rust at this point, but if you're on the hunt for a missing Tucker, you're in luck. Tucker 1023 before the fire. (TACA) The Burned Tucker Above & top: 1023 after the fire (TACA) On September 29, 1978, as Tucker 1023 was awaiting restoration in a Florida warehouse, a fire broke out. The devastation was fast and fierc...
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Roadside Sighting – 1966 Shelby GT 350H – is it real?
17May By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
Cheap Classics, Dusty & Rusty, Features

Roadside Sighting – 1966 Shelby GT 350H – is it real?

I'm not big on breaking traffic law, but when this black and gold Mustang caught the corner of my eye, doing a U-turn across four lanes of traffic for a better look didn't seem like a problem. At first glance, one could understand why any gear head or auto historian might get excited here -- just look at that letter and number combo behind the front tires. G.T. 350H. The stuff of legend. Could this dusty, rusty, Mustang, that my fiancée says has been there for years, be the real deal? Could it be one of 1,000 1966 Shelby GT 350 sent to Hertz as part of the rent-a-racer program? 1966 Shelby GT350H replica Unfortunately, no, I don't think it is my dream barn find, so to speak. There's a few key indicators that say this is a replica, if you can even call it that. The most damning ev...
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