As we run through the middle of the 2nd month of the year, here are your Auto Factoids (#AutoFactoids). A light week this week.
Feb 10, 1942 – Pontiac stops car production for WWII
– As you know WWII took a lot of sacrifice on many countries and their citizen and even corporations. A lot of resources were used in producing automobiles, in particular metals that could be used to produce planes and Liberty ships and ammo. That is why the U.S. government asked the car industry to halt production and assist in producing just about anything to support the war effort. Pontiac was one of the last to comply with the request. Pontiac’s main contribution? It was the 20-mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons. Check out what they could do!!!
Feb 11, 1932 – Ford announces new V8 engine
The Model A was history and the Model 18 ruled – with Ford’s new FlatHead V8 in 1932 (also referred to as the Ford Flathead or Flathead Ford or just Flatty). It lived on in the Model 40 in 1933 and 1934. It continued on the 1950’s.
Feb 12, 1908 – Start of the New York to Paris car race.
– The race route was from NYC, Albany, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Valdez Alaska, Japan, Vladivostok, Omsk, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Berlin and finally Paris. It was sponsored by the New York Times and the LA MATIN (Paris news paper) and finished 169 days later.
Thanks for reading.
Tim
#AutoFactoid