Stories
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August 16, 1906 – The first Mason Motor Car
The first Mason Motor Car rolled off a Des Moines, Iowa assembly line on this day in 1906. Edward Mason, a lawyer, financed the…
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August 14, 1956 – NASCAR racer Rusty Wallace is born
NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Rusty Wallace was born on this day in 1956 in Arnold, Missouri. Before hitting the NASCAR circuit, a young…
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August 13, 1898 – James Packard buys a Winton – dislikes it and starts Packard
On this day in 1898, James Packard purchased a Winton Automobile, the 12th one of the make produced. Packard found himself dissatisfied with his…
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Why the Ford Model T Changed the World and Made Cars Affordable (August 12, 1908)
“I will build a car for the great multitude,” Henry Ford once said. “It will be large enough for the family, but small enough…
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August 11, 1966 – The first production Chevrolet Camaro is born
When Chevrolet general manager Pete Estes held a live press conference at Detroit’s Statler-Hilton Hotel in June of 1966, he opened by informing everyone…
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August 10, 1907 – The Peking to Paris race is won
On January 31, 1907, the Paris newspaper Le Matin issued a challenge to admirers of relatively newfangled machines called automobiles: drive one from China…
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August 9, 1996 – The inventor of the jet engine dies
Frank Whittle spent much of his childhood with his nose tucked into books on engineering, turbines and the theory of flight. His readings bred a…
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August 8, 1938 – Ford registers Mercury
On this day in 1938 Ford Motor Company registered Mercury as a trademark. Mercury aimed to bridge the gap between Ford’s V8 cars and…
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August 6, 1932 – A patent request is made for the drive-in theater
On this day in 1932, Richard Hollingshead Jr. applied for a patent for the drive in movie theater. How he came up with his…
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August 5, 1899 – Henry Ford starts his first car biz, the Detroit Automobile Company
He had a gift. At least, that’s what 12 investors believed of Detroit mechanic and inventor Henry Ford. The Quadricycle and other early Ford…
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August 3, 1900 – Firestone Tire & Rubber is founded
On this day in 1900 Harvey Firestone founded Firestone Tire and Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio. The company’s original mission was to supply pneumatic…
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August 2, 1987 – Michael Andretti sets average speed record for an Indy race
On this day in 1987, Michael Andretti set the average speed record for an entire Indy race at the Marlboro 500 at the Michigan…