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June 13, 1953 – Car guy Tim Allen’s birthday
13Jun By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
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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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The founding of Nissan
1Jun By Automotive History3 Comments
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The founding of Nissan

On December 26, 1933 Jidosha-Seizo Kabushiki-Kaisha, which stands for "Automobile Manufacturing Co., Ltd." in English, was founded in Japan. On this day, June 1, in 1934, that company changed its name to Nissan Motor Company. The company was originally founded to take over the production of all Datsun automobiles, which were at that time being produced by Tobata Casting Co. Ltd. In 1935 the first small Datsun’s rolled off the assembly line following grand plans by Nissan founder Yoshisuke Aikawa to mass produce 15,000 vehicles per year, a grand sum in Japan at the time. That year Datsuns also began to be exported to Australia. In 1936 Nissan purchased vehicle plans and plant facilities in order to produce Graham-Paige cars from the US in Japan. However, as it became apparent that war was c...
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Ford signs USSR deal
31May By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
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Ford signs USSR deal

A historic agreement between Ford Motor Company and the Soviet Union is signed on this day in 1929 stating that Ford will begin to produce cars in the USSR, which was eager to create jobs in the automotive industry. The agreement was signed in Dearborn, Michigan, by Ford executives and Valery U. Meshlauk, vice chairman of the Supreme Council of National Economy, represented the Soviets. The deal stated that Ford would oversee construction of a production facility at Nizhni Novgorodto to manufacture Model As. An assembly plant would also begin operations immediately in Moscow. In return, the USSR agreed to buy 72,000 unassembled Ford vehicles along with all the spare parts they would require for nine years, a total of some $30 million worth of products. Ford would also send engineers and ex...
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The first Indy 500
30May By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
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The first Indy 500

Super short vacation post number two. On this day in 1911 the first Indianapolis 500 took place. Ray Harroun, an engineer with the Marmon Motor Car Company, won the race. Photo is his winning car.
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Hello, Frazer Automobiles
29May By Automotive HistoryNo Comments
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Hello, Frazer Automobiles

Super short vacation post - on this day in 1946 Frazer automobiles began production. Frazer was named after longtime automobile executive Joseph Frazer. It was the first car (at about the same time as Crosley) to have what was considered post war styling. The line of vehicles discontinued in 1951, but not before the company produced a 4 door convertible in 1951! Photo is a 1951.
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The first 24 Hours at Le Mans
27May By Automotive History28 Comments
Business

The first 24 Hours at Le Mans

The first 24 Hours of Le Mans ended on this day in 1923. This first of its kind automobile endurance race held in Le Mans, France began on the May 26 with 33 cars and all but three finished. The winners of the race were Frenchman André Lagache and René Léonard who were driving a Chenard et Walcker Sport. They completed 128 laps, while second place finished at 124. Originally the winner of the race was to be determined after three years of competition, combining the distance traveled over the race each year. This idea was abandoned after the first three year period, 1923-1925. The average speed of the 1923 race was 92.064 km/h, about 60 miles per hour. The race has been held every year since 1932 except 1936 and between the years 1940 to 1948 due to WWII. The next race will start June 15th,...
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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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