Stories
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April 3, 1966 – Battista “Pinin” Farina, founder of Pininfarina, dies
Born in 1893, as the the tenth of eleven children, Battista Farina earned the nickname “Pinin,” which translates from Italian to the “youngest” or…
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DRIVERead the story Dusty & Rusty – Herd of Metropolitans for sale – $500 to $3,000 each
The Metropolitan is an interesting little car, and with a wheel base shorter than a VW, little it is. Though badged as an American…
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March 27, 2002 – Scion debuts
After an attempt to attract younger buyers directly to the Toyota marque failed, the Japanese automaker aimed to launch a new brand that would…
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March 21, 1960 – F1 World Drivers’ Champion Ayrton Senna da Silva is born
Brazilian F1 driver Ayrton Senna da Silva, commonly known as Ayrton Senna, was born on this day in 1960. During his career he would…
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March 20, 1988 – The last Pontiac Fiero
The last Pontiac Fiero left the assembly line on this day in 1988. The mid-engined sports car first hit the market in 1983. Not…
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March 11, 1885 – Land speed record setter Sir Malcolm Campbell is born
Royal Flying Corps veteran, race car driver and land speed record setter Sir Malcolm Campbell was born on this day in 1885. Prior to…
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March 6, 1900 – Gottlieb Daimler dies
Gottlieb Daimler was a German industrialist and internal combustion engine pioneer who played a significant role in the development and history of the automobile.…
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February 13, 1953 – Mack Truck founder dies
The Mack Brothers Company delivered their first successful vehicle, a 20 passenger bus named Old No. 9, in 1900. Powered by a 40 horsepower…
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February 10, 1955 – Chrysler 300 goes on sale
The original Chrysler 300 hit the market on this day in 1955, aptly named for its 300 horsepower V8. Chrysler drew a lot of…
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February 9, 2005 – Robert Kearns, inventor of intermittent wipers, dies
Inventor Robert Kearns, who died on this day in 2005 at age 77, is who you can thank for intermittent windshield wipers. After receiving…
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DRIVERead the story February 3, 1990 – Musician and high end car collector Sean Kingston is born
Reggae infusion artist Sean Kingston was born on this day in 1990. He rose to fame after being discovered on MySpace and releasing a…
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February 1, 1901 – American poet and road tripper Langston Hughes is born
Happy Black History Month! This blog will make an effort to share Black history stories related to automotive history every day through the month…