1901 – France Establishes a 10 km/h Urban Speed Limit
France reportedly established a speed limit of 10 km/h, or approximately 6 mph, for automobiles traveling through towns on this day in 1901. Early motor vehicles shared narrow roads with pedestrians, bicycles, horses and animal-drawn wagons, leading governments to impose strict rules on machines that many people still considered dangerous and unpredictable. Although almost impossibly slow by modern standards, the limit reflected the uncertainty surrounding automobiles during the opening years of the 20th century.
1962 – Dan Gurney Delivers Porsche’s Only Formula One Victory
American driver Dan Gurney won the French Grand Prix at Rouen-Les-Essarts on this day in 1962 while driving a Porsche 804. It was Gurney’s first Formula One World Championship victory and remains Porsche’s only championship Grand Prix win as a full constructor. Powered by an air-cooled flat-eight engine, the lightweight 804 represented Porsche’s brief attempt to compete at the highest level of single-seat racing before the company redirected its attention toward sports-car competition.
1968 – DRUM Leads a Wildcat Strike at Dodge Main
The Dodge Revolutionary Union Movement, better known as DRUM, began a major wildcat strike on this day in 1968 at Chrysler’s Dodge Main plant in Hamtramck, Michigan. Nearly 4,000 workers, most of them Black, walked off the job to protest working conditions, assembly-line speedups, discrimination and what they viewed as inadequate representation from both management and established union leadership. The strike lasted roughly two and a half days and disrupted the production of approximately 3,000 automobiles, bringing national attention to Black labor activism within Detroit’s automobile industry.
1980 – Bentley Introduces the Mulsanne
Bentley introduced the Mulsanne in Paris on this date in 1980 as the replacement for the aging Bentley T2. Closely related to the new Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit, the luxury sedan used a 6.75-liter V8 and took its name from the Mulsanne section of the Circuit de la Sarthe, recalling Bentley’s early victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The original model later spawned the more powerful Mulsanne Turbo, which helped Bentley begin rebuilding a distinct performance identity separate from Rolls-Royce.
2010 – Smart Announces the smartExpressions Custom-Paint Program
Smart announced its new smartExpressions personalization program on this date in 2010, giving buyers the ability to order a new smart fortwo in virtually any exterior color they wanted. The program expanded the tiny city car’s already distinctive appeal by allowing customers to move beyond the standard factory palette and create a more individualized vehicle. In keeping with Smart’s emphasis on style and urban personality, smartExpressions turned color choice into a major part of the buying experience rather than simply another option on the order sheet.
