January 17, 1953 – Introducing, Corvette!
America’s sports car, the Chevrolet Corvette, made its public debut at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City during GM’s Motorama on this day in 1953. It was a hit at the show and GM rushed to push it into production. With design by Harley Earl and his special projects
January 16, 1948 – Ford F-Series trucks go on sale
Up until 1948, Ford’s cars and trucks had shared the same platform and styling queues. That all changed when Ford launched the Ford F-Series trucks, which went on sale on this day in 1948. Badged F-1 through F-8 in order of ascending capabilities, the new trucks proved to be
January 15, 1909 – Jean Bugatti is born
Gianroberto Bugatti was born in Germany on this day in 1909, the same year his father Ettore founded Automobiles E. Bugatti. By his early 20s, Jean was making quite the impact at his father’s company. At 23, he led the design of the Bugatti Type 41 Royale. He later
January 14, 1920 – John Dodge dies
John Francis Dodge, born 1864, and his younger brother Horace were inseparable as children. As the two grew, so too did their bond. After moving to Detroit from southern Michigan, the pair spent their days in various machine shops, boilermaker facilities and at other manufacturing jobs. It soon became
January 13, 1942 – Ford receives Soybean Car patent
After investing millions of dollars into the development of plastics, the Ford Motor Company publicly debuted its Soybean Car on August 13, 1941 at Dearborn Days. The car earned its name due to its body panels supposedly made of agricultural plastic derived from plants including soybeans, wheat, corn and
January 12, 1822 – Lenoir, internal combustion engine inventor, born
Jean Joseph Étienne Lenoir, Belgian engineer and inventor of the first commercially successful internal combustion engine, was born on this day in 1822. There had been internal combustion engines patented as early as 1807, but Lenoir’s 1858 version demonstrated the feasibility of such a power plant. Prior to building
January 11, 1923 – Carroll Shelby is born
Carroll Shelby, race car driver, team owner and car builder, was born on this day in 1923. Shelby is perhaps best known for his role in the creation of the Shelby AC Cobra and the Shelby Mustangs of the 1960s. However, his career spanned decades of racing, engineering and
January 10, 1942 – Ford earns Jeep contract
Prior to the US entering WWII, the U.S. Army contacted 135 companies and asked for prototypes of a four wheel drive reconnaissance car. Only two responded, American Bantam and Willys-Overland. After American Bantam delivered their working model for testing on September 21, 1941, the Army found it met nearly
