1898 – James Packard Buys the Winton That Inspires Packard
James Ward Packard picked up a Winton automobile in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 13, 1898, beginning one of the great “I can build something better” stories in automotive history. Packard reportedly found the car unsatisfactory and later offered suggestions to Alexander Winton, who was already one of America’s leading early automakers. The experience helped push Packard and his brother William toward building their own automobile. In 1899, they formed the Ohio Automobile Company in Warren, Ohio, which later became the Packard Motor Car Company. Packard would grow into one of America’s finest luxury marques, known for engineering quality, prestige and refinement. It all began with a dissatisfied customer and a Winton that did not meet his expectations.
1902 – Felix Wankel Is Born
Felix Wankel was born on August 13, 1902, in Lahr, Germany, beginning the life of the engineer whose name would become inseparable from the rotary engine. The Wankel engine used a rotating triangular rotor instead of conventional pistons, creating a compact and unusually smooth powerplant. Many automakers studied or licensed the design, but Mazda became its most famous champion, using rotary engines in cars such as the Cosmo, RX-7 (pictured) and RX-8. The engine also found success in racing, most famously when Mazda won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1991 with the rotary-powered 787B. Wankel’s idea never replaced the piston engine, but it remains one of the most distinctive alternative engine designs in automotive history. He died in 1988.
1907 – New York’s First Metered Taxicabs Enter Service
New York City’s first metered taxicabs went into service on August 13, 1907, when businessman Harry N. Allen introduced imported vehicles fitted with taximeters. Allen reportedly became interested in the idea after being charged an excessive fare for a short ride, leading him to create a service that charged by measured distance. Early New York taxis were not yellow; Time notes that Allen’s imported cabs were painted red and green. The arrival of the taximeter helped modernize urban transportation by making fares more standardized and transparent. It also helped establish the taxi as a defining part of New York street life, long before the yellow cab became one of the city’s most recognizable symbols.
1955 – Hideo Fukuyama Is Born
Hideo Fukuyama was born on August 13, 1955, in Japan, beginning a racing career that would eventually bring him into NASCAR history. Fukuyama competed in Japanese open-wheel, touring car and sports car racing before making international appearances, including at Le Mans. In 2002, he became the first Japanese driver to qualify for a NASCAR Winston Cup Series points race, bringing Japanese representation to one of America’s most culturally distinct racing series. His NASCAR career was brief, but the milestone was significant. Fukuyama’s path connected Japanese motorsport, endurance racing and American stock car racing at a time when NASCAR was still overwhelmingly domestic in its driver base and identity.
1971 – W.O. Bentley Dies
Walter Owen Bentley, better known as W.O. Bentley, died on August 13, 1971, at age 82. Bentley founded Bentley Motors in 1919 with the goal of building “a fast car, a good car, the best in its class,” and his cars soon became famous for combining performance, durability and luxury. In the 1920s, Bentley became a dominant force at Le Mans, where the marque’s victories helped define its sporting identity and created the legend of the “Bentley Boys.” Financial trouble forced Bentley into Rolls-Royce ownership in the 1930s, but W.O.’s influence remained central to the brand’s mythology. Today, Bentley still draws on the ideals he established: speed, craftsmanship, long-distance capability and British grand touring prestige.
