December 2, 1916 – A bloody race in Uniontown
On this day in 1916 a brand new wooden board racetrack in Hopwood, just outside Uniontown, Pennsylvania, opened its gate to welcome spectators to its first race. While racing was particularly dangerous in those days, tragedy struck at Uniontown Speedway before that first race ever happened. During practice in
December 1, 1913 – Ford introduces moving assembly line
The first moving assembly line in the automotive industry began to churn out Model T’s on this day in 1913 at the Ford Highland Park Assembly Plant. Henry Ford yearned for maximum efficiency in the production of his vehicles, as this allowed him to offer an inexpensive, reliable automobile
November 30, 1960 – The first International Harvester Scout
International Harvester Company was founded during the merger of McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, Deering Harvester Company, Milwaukee Harvesting Machine Co., Plano Manufacturing Co. and Warder, Bushnell, and Glessner in 1902. While the company initially focused on agricultural machinery, such as large tractors, the business began truck production in 1907
November 29, 1906 – Lancia is founded
A group of Fiat racing drivers, including Vincenzo Lancia, and his friend Claudio Fogolin, founded Lancia & C. Fabbrica Automobili on this day in 1906 in Turin, Italy. They found commercial success with their first vehicle, the Tipo 51, a 12 hp that remained in production from 1907 through
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November 28, 1895 – The first organized automobile race in America
The first organized automobile race in the United States took place on this day in 1895. On July 10 earlier that year the Chicago Times-Herald announced it would host the race and offered a winning prize of $5,000, about $143,000 in 2017. Astonishingly, 83 vehicles signed up for the
November 27, 1949 – First Japanese winner of 24 Hours of Le Mans is born
Racecar driver Masanori Sekiya achieved his greatest fame behind the wheel as the first Japanese winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Born on this day in 1949, Sekiya first participated in the all day race in 1985. He quickly came to love the event, even marrying in
November 26, 1963 – Porsche debuts the 904 Carrera GTS
After withdrawing from Formula One at the end of the 1962 season, Porsche refocused its attention on the track to sports cars, where the company originally made a name for itself. The car they developed to tackle the FIA-GT class was the mid-engine Porsche 904, which debuted on this