Category Archives: #AutoFactoids

Auto Factoids for Week of Dec. 28, 2014

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Here are your Auto Factoids for the last week of Dec 2014.

 

–  Charles Goodyear was born Dec 29, 1800 in New Heaven, Conn.   39 years and 4 days later he developed vulcanization or rubber (Jan 2, 1839)

– Jan 1, 1942 was the date that the us Government banned the sale of all non-essential car and small trucks in an effort to save valuable resources for the war effort.

– Back in 1966 on Jan 1st, Dodge rolls out the Charger.

1966 Charger Love the lines!!!

1966 Charger Love the lines!!!

But it has had some changes over the years.

 

1969 Charger

1969 Charger – Nice!!!!!

 

1987 Shelby version of the Charger.

1987 Shelby version of the Charger.

 

2010 Dodge Charger - not a great looking car.

2010 Dodge Charger – not a great looking car.

 

2014 Charger - looks make you want to yawn...but it can move!!!!

2014 Charger – looks make you want to yawn…but it can move!!!!

 

 

– Chevy debuts its first air-cooled engine on Jan 2, 1923.

Copper/Air Cooled

Copper/Air Cooled

 

– On Jan 2, 1957 Ghia announced the production of the Crown Imperial limo.

 

Here is an 1958 Chrysler-Imperial Limo example.

Here is an 1958 Chrysler-Imperial Limo example.  That’s a nice looking car!!!

Thanks for reading this installment of #AutoFactoids.  

 

Tim

 

 

NOTE:  If you’d like to sponsor an Auto Factoid contact me.  With thousands of views every day you will get noticed!!!!!

 

1984 C4

1984 C4

 

Auto Factoids for Week of Dec 14, 2014

Dec 15, 1861 Charles Duryea was born in Canton, Ohio. He grew up to be an engineer and with his brother Frank, they began production bicycles. By 1893 they test driving the first U.S. gasoline powered vehicle. It was a …
Auto Factoids for Week of June 8, 2014

Let’s get right to the glory and the tragic historical events of this weeks Auto Factoids. June 10, 1927 the Graham brothers purchased Paige-Detroit Motor.
Auto Factoids for Week of May 18, 2014

If you thought last week was light…this week is weak!! Buick became a corporation back in 1903 back on May 19. It eventually became a major General Motors brand.

Auto Factoids for Week of Dec 14, 2014

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Dec 15, 1861  Charles Duryea was born in Canton, Ohio.  He grew up to be an engineer and with his brother Frank, they began production bicycles.  By 1893 they test driving the first U.S. gasoline powered vehicle.  It was a used horse drawn buggy they purchased fro $70.00.  It sported a single cylinder 4HP engine with friction transmission, spray carburetor and low tension ignition.  The car was then stored in 1894 and found and given to a museum.

Charles and Frank - left to right in there first car.

Charles and Frank – left to right in there first car.

1994 Duryea

1894 Duryea

 

These brother went on to create Duryea “Motor Wagon Company” and produced 13 hand-made cars out of their garage.  These were the first commercially produced automobiles in the U.S.   This wasn’t their only ‘first’.   The Duryea car won the first American car race and was involved in the first traffic accident.   Charles and Frank parted ways in 1898 and Charles died in 1938.  Frank formed the Hampden Car company. To actually produce the cars brother Frank sought out the services of J. Stevens of J. Stevens Arms and Tool Company.  This eventually lead to the Stevens-Duryea cars being produced.

This is the Model C Touring car. Production continued until 1927.

This is the Model C Touring car. Production continued until 1927.

 

 

New York City creates the first one way street Dec 17th 1791.

 

Ford names Lee Iacocca as president 10/18/1970.

 

Dec 20, 1892 Pneumatic automobile tire patented.  The original patented was by Robert William Thomson who invented the first pneumatic tire but apparently never caught on, however, John Dunlap’s did.

Harvey Firestone was born in Columbia County, Ohio on Dec 20, 1868.    After high school Harvey  worked for the Columbus Buggy Company .  In 1890 before starting his own company making rubber tires for carriages.  By 1900 he began marketing tires for automobiles and then founded the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, a pioneer in the mass production of tires. In 1926 he published a book, Men and Rubber:

Sears, Roebuck & Co show off the Kaiser built Allstate, Dec 20, 1951.  The Allstate was built on Kaiser-Frazer platform and marketed by Sears.   It was a 2 door, fastback and came in a Series 4 and Series 6 with several different trim levels.

The Allstate

The Allstate

 

 

Thanks for reading.

Tim

#AutoFactoids

 

Auto Factoids for Week of June 8, 2014

Let’s get right to the glory and the tragic historical events of this weeks Auto Factoids. June 10, 1927 the Graham brothers purchased Paige-Detroit Motor.
 
Auto Factoids – 1970 Mustang – Ford Assembly Line …

Auto Factoids – 1970 Mustang – Ford Assembly Line http://timsweet.wordpress.com/2010/12/01/auto-factoids-1970-mustang-ford-assembly-line/ December 1, 2010. Today is the anniversary of the assembly line created by …
 

Auto Factoid for Week of Nov. 30, 2014

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Hope you all had a great Turkey Day!!

Here is the line up of Auto Factoids for the first week in December!!!

 

Nov 30 1960  De Soto ceases production.  The last De Soto produced were really the Chrysler Windsor, most did not sale, even though dealerships continued to received cars after the brand was terminated.

1961 Windsor

1961 Windsor

1961 DeSoto

1961 DeSoto

 

Way before that on Nov 30, 1900 Germany patented an automobile front wheel drive.  Although this is a common historic fact, there is some evidence that the first production car with front wheel drive was a French car.  There exists a French Patent around 1898 or 1899.  The manufacturer was Société Parisienne and the car was the Victoria Combination.

It was a lightweight two-seater trailer,known as a ‘Victoria’, combined with the back axle and mechanical components of a motor tricycle, but this axle was placed in front of the trailer and steered by a long tiller on which the controls were located. The first examples were powered by 1.75 or 2.5 horsepower De Dion Bouton engines geared directly to the differential, but larger engines of this make were fitted as they became available.

1900 Victoria Combination

1900 Victoria Combination

 

December 1, 1925 GM purchased Vauxhall.  Vauxhall started out as engine manufacturer mainly for pumps and marine use (1857 – Alex Wilson).  They began making cars in 1903.  Here is a video of a 1903 Vauxhall.  They are still producing cars using the Opel name under GM.

One more of it on a road test.

Back 1913 (just over 100 years ago) on Dec 1, Ford fired up the first continuous assembly line.

Ford's Production Line

Ford’s Production Line

And just one day and 14 years later (Dec 2, 1927) Ford began selling Models A off this assembly line.

1927 Model A

1927 Model A

 

Dec 3, 1951 is Rick Mears birthday – one of only three drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 3 times.

Rick Mears in his Formula 1 car

Rick Mears in his Formula 1 car

 

That round out the week.  Thanks for reading Auto Factoids.

Tim

 

If you’d like to sponsor a week of Auto Factoids contact me directly.

#AutoFactoids