Stories
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November 6, 1998 – MotorCities National Heritage Area is established
On this day in 1998 President Bill Clinton declared some 10,000 square miles of Michigan the Automobile National Heritage Area. The site commemorates the…
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November 5, 1918 – Henry Ford loses US Senate election
The United States gubernatorial, house and senate elections took place throughout the United States on November 5, 1918. One of those races would elect…
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How Lee Iacocca and the Minivan Transformed Family Transportation
A few years before automotive executives Lee Iacocca and his Mustang sidekick Hal Sperlich found themselves kicked to the curb outside of Ford headquarters,…
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October 31, 1957 – Toyota establishes American headquarters
Toyota began its invasion of the American car market on this day in 1957 when the company established its US headquarters in an old…
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October 27, 1957 – Buck Baker becomes first consecutive NASCAR champion
The 1957 NASCAR season was capped off by a dramatic 250 lap race on this day in 1957. The action unfolded on the ⅓…
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October 26, 1926 – E.L Cord acquires Duesenberg
Self taught master mechanics and brothers August and Fred Duesenberg used their skills to build fantastic race cars and engines in the early 1900s.…
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October 25, 1975 – Evel Knievel’s longest jump
American stuntman Evel Knievel, born Robert Craig Knievel, completed his longest motorcycle jump on this day in 1975, clearing 133 feet over 14 Greyhound…
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October 25, 1972 – 3 million Minis
The original Mini burst onto the scene in 1959. The small new car from British Motor Works became an instant success and an icon…
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When was DeLorean founded? Flux capacitator not included
There was only one car that didn’t need roads! Prominent American automotive executive John Z. DeLorean founded DeLorean Motor Company on this day in…
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October 22, 1954 – Ford Thunderbird sales begin
On the heels of the Chevrolet Corvette debut in January 1953, Ford unveiled the concept for the Thunderbird to the public just one month…
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October 18, 1934 – Automatic transmission patented
Oscar H. Banker, an Armenian-American inventor born in 1895, filed for a patent for a new type of automatic transmission on this day in…
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October 17, 1968 – Bullitt, starring Steve McQueen and a ’68 Mustang, debuts
The film Bullitt debuted on this day in 1968. In brief, I’ll let film critic Roger Ebert explain the plot, using an excerpt from…