When Chitty Chitty Bang Bang premiered in New York on December 18, 1968, it immediately joined the ranks of beloved family musicals that celebrated the magic and whimsy of early motoring. Starring Dick Van Dyke […]
The passage of the Clean Air Act on December 17, 1963, marked the first major federal effort in the United States to regulate air pollution—a shift that would profoundly reshape the automotive industry. Prior to […]
On December 16, 1949, a small Swedish aircraft company called Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget rolled out its first production automobile. That car—the quirky, aerodynamic Saab 92—was the product of engineers who had spent World War II […]
This week in car history: NASCAR & SAAB hit the road for the first time The week of December 14–20 is surprisingly rich with moments that shaped the automobile industry, motorsport culture, environmental policy, and […]
The ’60s weren’t just groovy, they were dangerous Route 66 in 1965 meant kids hanging out of windows, no seat belts, Dad with a beer between his legs, and nobody thought twice about any of […]
Long before Felix Wankel became synonymous with rotary engines, an inventive Hungarian-American engineer named Stephen M. Balzer secured one of the earliest patents for a rotary-powered automobile on December 15, 1896. Balzer’s idea grew out […]
On December 14, 1947, a group of promoters, drivers, and mechanics gathered at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach, Florida, for what would become one of the most consequential meetings in motorsport history. Presided over […]
Every year, December 14 quietly marks the birthday of one of history’s most enduringly mysterious figures: Michel de Nostredame, better known as Nostradamus. Born in 1503 in the Provençal town of Saint-Rémy, he entered the […]
On December 13, 1957, Ford Motor Company produced the final two-seat Thunderbird, bringing an end to the first generation of a model that had quickly become an American automotive icon. Introduced in 1955, the original […]
On December 12, 2004, General Motors announced that its Oldsmobile division—one of the oldest and most historically significant car brands in the United States—would be permanently phased out. The announcement marked the end of a […]