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August 8, 2018 – The ten millionth Ford Mustang
8Aug By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
Business

August 8, 2018 – The ten millionth Ford Mustang

(Ford) On this day in 2018 Ford Motor Company celebrated the production of the ten millionth Mustang, America's best selling sports car of the last 50 years. The honor took place at Ford's Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan. The 10 millionth Ford Mustang is a high-tech, 460 horsepower 2019 Wimbledon White GT V8 six-speed convertible saluting Ford Mustang VIN 001 – the first serialized 1964.5 Ford Mustang that featured a 164 horsepower, three-speed V8. As a part of the celebration, 60 Ford Mustang owners used their cars to spell out the milestone number. A WWII era P-51 Mustang, the car's namesake, then conducted a flyover. Read Ford's entire press release detailing the event below. DEARBORN, Mich., Aug. 8, 2018 – Ford is celebrating the production of its 10 millionth Mustang – Am...
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August 7, 1937 – Auburn Automobile Company closes
7Aug By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
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August 7, 1937 – Auburn Automobile Company closes

An Eckhart Buggy with a 1904 Auburn, the earliest known Auburn automobile The Auburn Automobile Company of Auburn, Indiana grew out of a horse-drawn carriage business founded in 1874 by Charles Eckhart. His sons began automobile production in 1900, but by the end of World War I, could not generate a profit and closed its doors. The pair sold the company to a Chicago investment group who revived the brand, but ran into a similar profitability issues. This led them to approach successful automobile salesman Errett Lobban Cord, better known today as E.L, with an offer to run the company. Cord countered with to buy out plan. The group accepted and by the end of 1925, Cord took over full control of Auburn. The next year he acquired Duesenberg, then began building Cord automobiles in 192...
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July 23, 2007 – 6,000,000th North American Civic
23Jul By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
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July 23, 2007 – 6,000,000th North American Civic

On this day in 2007 the 6 millionth Honda Civic produced in North America. The small, fuel efficient first-generation Honda Civic arrived an opportune time, during the oil crisis of the early 1970s. The subcompact, two-door model, made its debut in July 1972, followed by a three-door version two months later. In Japan the car won Car of the Year three years in a row starting the year it debuted. In Canada the Civic became the best-selling import car for 28 consecutive months between 1976 and 1978. By July 2007, when the 6 millionth North American Civic rolled out of the plant, Honda was operating 12 manufacturing plants and employed upwards of 30,000 people in North America. More than 75 percent of all Honda vehicles, including its Acura division, sold in North America are produce...
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July 18, 1969 – The Chappaquiddick Accident
18Jul By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
Business

July 18, 1969 – The Chappaquiddick Accident

Shortly after leaving a party on Chappaquiddick Island in Massachusetts, U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy drove his mother’s 1967 Oldsmobile Delmont 88 off of Dyke Bridge on this day in 1969. The accident appeared to have claimed the life of his young passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, but there may be more than what meets the eye. The circumstances surrounding the accident are rather strange. It starts with the fact that Kennedy did not report the accident until after it had been discovered by fisherman, some 8 hours later. Mary Jo was one of the boiler-room girls, who served Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 presidential campaign. The party was a reunion for these girls. When Ted Kennedy declared he was leaving the party Mary Jo supposedly had asked for a ride back to her hotel room. Along the way a p...
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July 16, 1935 – The first paid parking meter is installed
16Jul By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
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July 16, 1935 – The first paid parking meter is installed

Collecting coins from a parking meter(21412.M48.42, Z. P. Meyers/Barney Hillerman Photographic Collection, OHS). On this day in 1935 the first paid parking meter in the USA was installed on a street in Oklahoma City. By the end of the day 175 of them would line OKC streets. Designed by newspaperman Carl Magee for the city which hoped the device would free up public parking. All it did was make people's pockets heavier. When the meters, known as Park-O-Meters, first went into use, it cost five cents an hour to park. For 25 cents you could head to the drive in theater. Carl Magee(21412.M48.2, Z. P. Meyers/Barney Hillerman Photographic Collection, OHS). While most people believed the units to be a simple cash grab by the city, they maintained that it made it easier to park in the c...
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July 5, 1869 – Reports of first car in Prince Edward Island, Canada published
5Jul By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
Business

July 5, 1869 – Reports of first car in Prince Edward Island, Canada published

Littered on the Internet are reports of a Reverend Georges-Antoine Belcourt displaying a Ware Steam Carriage, the first car on Prince Edward Island in Canada, on July 5, 1866. These mere, sourceless sentences left much to the imagination. Thankfully, one man, Rudy Croken, a one time president of the Prince Edward Island Automobile Clubs of Canada organization, decided to figure out exactly what these so called reports referred to. His lengthy research found the date provided to be inaccurate. What actually occurred on a July 5 in 1869, not 1866, was that a newspaper reported that a steam car had been recently displayed on PEI. Please read Croken's entire article from a 2017 Cruisin' Canada newsletter article below. Visit the link for sources on his research. "Prince Edward Island h...
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June 14, 1924 – The ten millionth Ford
14Jun By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
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June 14, 1924 – The ten millionth Ford

Henry Ford with the ten millionth Ford and the first Ford, his Quadricycle. On June 14, 1924, the ten millionth Ford, a Model T of course, rolled off the Highland Park assembly line. To celebrate the occasion Ford sent the vehicle on a cross country tour. It followed the Lincoln Highway, starting in New York and ending in San Francisco. While it took ford 21 years to produce ten million vehicles, just three years later the 15 millionth Ford, also a Model T, left the factory. Model T production shut down in May 1927 soon after Ford hit that milestone. At that points the company's plants retooled to accommodate assembly of an all new vehicle, the first from Ford since 1908, the Model A. The 20 millionth Ford, a 1931 Ford Model A The 20 millionth Ford When the Ford Model A began...
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May 30, 1995 – Jaguar CEO Lofty England dies
30May By Brian CoreyNo Comments
Business

May 30, 1995 – Jaguar CEO Lofty England dies

Jaguar D Type at the 1956 24 Hours of Le Mans. Frank "Lofty" England, who passed away on this day in 1995, began his automotive career as an apprentice with Daimler in the late 1920s and early 1930s before turning to racing. His skills as an engineer and a drive made him attractive to many automakers. He spent servicing vehicles in private garages and for various marques, while also participating in racing events. While working at Alvis, England declared war on Germany. He spent time servicing Rolls-Royce aircraft engines before eventually becoming a bomber pilot and instructor. Soon after his release from service in 1945 he joined Jaguar Cars. There he would lead the racing team to five Le Mans victories in the 1950s. His successes didn't stop there, as he'd eventually climb the corp...
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May 16, 1952 – Studebaker & Porsche sign development deal
16May By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
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May 16, 1952 – Studebaker & Porsche sign development deal

An unusual automotive partnership formed on this day in 1952 when Studebaker and Porsche signed a contract to co-develop a new model for the American automaker. The partnership began with the help of famed importer Max Hoffman, who suggested the Indiana based car maker could use a facelift with the help of Dr. Ferdinand Porsche. Ensuing conversations led to an official deal. Porsche soon delivered its first idea, essentially a four door Porsche 356. The Indiana boys were less than thrilled with the concept, but not totally dissuade. They sent Porsche back to the drawing board. Their next attempt, code named by Porsche as the Type 542 and by Studebaker as the Z-87, saw delivery of three prototypes in 1953. The timing could not have been worse. Porsche 542 and 1953 Studebaker Whil...
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April 26, 1948 – Ford begins 1949 model production featuring first post war Big 3 Design
26Apr By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
Business

April 26, 1948 – Ford begins 1949 model production featuring first post war Big 3 Design

1949 Ford (Ford Motor Company) At the time World War II broke out the auto industry was pushing many revolutionary ideas. Among them, Studebaker released its first car with automatic hidden headlights and General Motors offered automatic transmissions in a variety of their models. When the conflict erupted on US soil in December 1941, the efforts of automakers shifted to wartime production. Designers and engineers once tasked with developing the next great automobile now raced to design vehicles, planes, weapons and other items that would help take down hostile enemies on two different fronts. The task left no room for civilian automotive production, let alone design. When the Nazis finally surrendered in May of 1945, Ford began to prep their factories for a return to normalcy, despite...
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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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