July 3 – This Day in Automotive History
1916 – The First Jordan Automobile Is Manufactured
The first automobile produced by the newly established Jordan Motor Car Company was completed around this date in 1916 in Cleveland, Ohio. Founded by former advertising executive Edward “Ned” Jordan, the company assembled stylish cars using engines and other components supplied by outside manufacturers. Jordan became especially famous for imaginative advertising, including the celebrated “Somewhere West of Laramie” campaign, and sold nearly 1,800 automobiles during its first year before remaining in business until 1931.
1945 – Ford Resumes Civilian Automobile Production
Ford Motor Company resumed civilian automobile manufacturing on this day in 1945, becoming the first major American automaker to return to passenger-car production after factories had been redirected toward military equipment during World War II. Henry Ford II drove the first postwar Ford, a 1946 Super Deluxe, off the assembly line as the company began meeting years of pent-up consumer demand. The first completed car was later presented to President Harry S. Truman in September 1945.
1952 – The Final Crosley Automobile Is Built
The last Crosley automobile rolled out of the company’s Marion, Indiana, factory on this day in 1952, ending one of America’s most unusual small-car ventures. Industrialist Powel Crosley Jr. had entered the automobile business before World War II with inexpensive, fuel-efficient cars and later introduced models including the Hotshot sports car, compact station wagons and small utility vehicles. Despite innovative engineering and low operating costs, Crosley could not compete with the larger, more powerful cars offered by Detroit’s major manufacturers.
1985 – Back to the Future Brings the DeLorean to the Big Screen
Back to the Future opened in American theaters on this day in 1985, transforming the stainless-steel DeLorean DMC-12 into one of cinema’s most recognizable automobiles. The film starred Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd as inventor Doc Brown, whose modified DeLorean traveled through time after reaching 88 mph. Although DeLorean production had ended several years earlier, the movie gave the troubled sports car a lasting cultural identity and helped make it far more famous after its demise than it had been while new.
2012 – Sergio Pininfarina Dies at 85
Sergio Pininfarina, longtime head of the celebrated Italian design house founded by his father, died on this day in 2012 at age 85. Under his leadership, Pininfarina strengthened its close relationship with Ferrari and helped shape some of the marque’s most memorable cars, while also creating designs for manufacturers including Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Peugeot, Cadillac and Volvo. His influence helped establish Italian automotive design as a global benchmark for elegance, proportion and performance.
