November 22, 1893 – GM designer Harley Earl is born
Automotive designer and executive Harley J. Earl was born on this day in Hollywood, California in 1893. After ended his studies Stanford prematurely to join his father’s coach building business, which was producing custom car bodies for some of Hollywood’s biggest stars at the time, including Tom Mix. After
November 21, 1970 – Ford gets a new Boss
Ford introduced the Boss 351 Mustang on this day in 1970 for the 1971 model year at the Detroit Auto Show. The vehicles featured a 8-cylinder, 16-valve V8 pushing 330 HP. The engine had an aluminum intake manifold, solid lifters, dual-point distributor, a six-quart oil pan, and cast-aluminum valve
November 20, 2011 – Famed Ferrari designer dies
Sergio Scaglietti opened Carrozzeria Scaglietti, an auto repair and body shop, in 1951 in the small town of Maranello, Italy. It just so happened to sit across the street from another young business, Ferrari. Scaglietti and Enzo Ferrari, the founder of the sports car company, had an existing relationship
November 19, 1959 – Ford announces the end of Edsel
Too much money, too much hype, too much of the same old thing would ultimately kill Edsel, a brand new car line from Ford meant to fill the gap between Ford and its luxurious Lincoln line. But when the brand debuted amid high expectations on September 4, 1957, the
November 18, 1960 – Chrysler Corporation announces end of the line for DeSoto
Chrysler introduced DeSoto in 1928 to offer mid level transportation, but not long after that Chrysler acquired Dodge. The addition gave Chrysler two makes aimed at the same consumer, with Chrysler above and Plymouth as their low class model. Executives tooled DeSoto to be an entry level luxury vehicle
November 17, 1986 – The Assassination of Renault CEO Georges Besse
On this day in 1986 Georges Besse, the 58-year-old CEO of French automaker Renault, was gunned down just steps from his Paris home. Besse had become head of the company in 1985 when it was not profitable. Under Besse’s aggressive actions Renault reported gains for the first time in
November 16, 1901 – A new electric speed record
Coney Island, New York is well known for its classic and contemporary amusement park rides, but on this day in 1901, it was home to a different kind of wild ride. A mishmash of automobiles, including eight gas powered, six steam powered and one electric vehicle known as the
November 15, 1965 – Hitting 600 MPH
Craig Breedlove, driving the jet-powered Spirit of America, established a new land speed record on this day in 1965 when he reached a speed of 600.601 mph (966.574 km/h) racing across the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. Breedlove was the first person to break the 400 mph (644 km/h),