September 1, 1950: First Porsche completed

A new chapter in Porsche history began today, with the company’s return to Zuffenhausen, Germany, and the completion of the first Porsche. The first car to bear the Porsche name had actually been built two years earlier by Ferry Porsche and his design team, but this Porsche was the first car to boast a Porsche-made engine. Porsche became an independent automobile manufacturer during this year and soon sealed its success with a stunning victory at Le Mans in 1951.

September 1, 1989: Law requiring air bags passed

The federal government passed new car safety legislation on this day, requiring all newly manufactured cars to install an air bag on the driver’s side. While air bags have proven to be life saving in many cases, there are few concerns to worry about the safety of airbag itself. There are many instances in which small children were seriously injured or killed by an air bag caused a public clamor for further investigation of the devices, which can explode out of the dashboard at up to 200mph. Air bags are still installed in all newly manufactured models.

September 1, 1989: Toyota launches lexus

The first Lexus was sold on this day, launching Toyota’s new luxury division. However, Lexus story had begun six years earlier in a top secret meeting of Toyota’s elite.

30th August 1916:

Studebaker announced the release of the Heaslet Special, a semi-custom touring car. The car was named in honor of Studebaker’s vice president of engineering, James G. Heaslet.

30th August 1945:

A pale green Super Six coupe rolled off the Hudson Company’s assembly line, the first post-World War II car to be produced by the auto manufacturer. Like all other U.S. auto manufacturers, Hudson had halted production of civilian cars in order to produce armaments during the war. The Super Six boasted the first modern, high-compression L-head motor, though it garnered its name from the original Hudson-manufactured engine produced in 1916. The name stayed, though the engines became more sophisticated.

August 28th 1921
Erection of the Paragon Motor Company factory began in Cumberland, Maryland. The company’s production was limited to just four prototypes, and the factory was never finished.
August 28th 1922
The famed Autodromo, an automobile-racing track, was opened in Monza, Italy, on this day. Set in a active industrial center along the Lambro River, this track, with its elliptical shape and concrete banked curves, is said to be the fastest in the world.

August 28th 1937
The Toyota Motor Company, Ltd., originally a division of the Toyota Automatic Loom Works, became a corporation on this day. The company underwent huge expansion in the 1960s and 1970s, exporting its smaller, more fuel-efficient cars to countless foreign markets. Throughout this period, Toyota also purchased Hino Motors, Ltd., Nippondenso Company Ltd., and Daihitsu Motor Company, Ltd. Toyota has been Japan’s largest auto manufacturer for a number of decades and is headquartered in Toyota City, Japan.

August 27th 1904
Newport, Rhode Island, imposed the first jail sentence for a speeding violation on this day. This was a severe sentence in 1904 since traffic laws were still comparatively new-the first traffic laws wasn’t brought about until 1903, when New York instituted a two-page book of rules. Early traffic regulations varied significantly from state to state, some having no speed limits at all.

August 27th 1938
Captain George Eyston set a new land speed record of 345.49mph when he voyaged over the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah in a Rolls-Royce-powered Thunderbolt. The land-speed trials have been held every year since 1903, proving as a test of automotive technology and proof of escalating speeds. Captain Eyston’s record was specifically unforgettable, for it was one of the few years that the record was not held by Malcolm Campbell, who ruled the trials for virtually 30 years.

August 20th 1946
World War II civilian truck confinements were taken off in the U.S. Truck restrictions were only the beginning of special regulations during the war. Civilian auto production more or less stopped after the assault on Pearl Harbor as the U.S. automotive industry turned to war production, and gas rationing began in 1942.
August 20th 1991
The Mazda Motor Corporation of Japan declared on this day that it planned to enter the luxury car market in 1994 with the Amati. Few other high-end brands from Japan had previously been introduced: Lexus, Infiniti, and Acura. However, the idea never took off.

August 18th 1905

Newell S. Wright, an attorney, filed to register the Cadillac crest as a trademark. The insignia has adorned Cadillac’s luxury car for almost a century now and is very distinct.

August 18th 1937
The Toyota Motor Company, Ltd., began as a division of the Toyota Automatic Loom Works, was established on this day. The company underwent huge expansion in the 1960s and 1970s, exporting its smaller, more fuel-efficient cars to countless foreign markets. During this period, Toyota also acquired Hino Motors, Ltd., Nippondenso Company, Ltd., and Daihitsu Motor Company Ltd. Toyota has been Japan’s largest automobile manufacturer for several decades. Now we all know where Toyota is, right at the top.

Replica of the Toyota Model AA, the first production model of Toyota in 1936

Toyota Motor Company Founder Kiichiro Toyoda.

August 18th 1940
Walter P. Chrysler, the American auto tycoon, died on this day. Born on April 2, 1875, Chrysler began his love affair with mechanics as an apprentice in a railroad machine shop, and soon worked his way up to plant manager for the American Locomotive Company. He later went on to become president of the Buick Motor Company, making it the strongest division of General Motors. In 1919, Chrysler resigned from General Motors to take control of the Maxwell Motor Company, which became the Chrysler Corporation in 1925. The new company, featuring a car that Chrysler designed, was soon a success. Today, the Chrysler Company owns Dodge and Plymouth, and is one of the “Big Three” in the American automotive industry.

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August 17th 1915

Charles F. Kettering of Detroit, Michigan, patented the electric automobile self-starter on this day. Kettering, along with Edward A. Deeds, established Delco (Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company). Kettering and his company invented countless enhancements for the automobile, including lighting and ignition systems, lacquer finishes, antilock fuels, and leaded gasoline. The Cadillac was the first car to use the electric starter, and Delco would subsequently become a subsidiary of General Motors. As it happens, before he commenced working on cars, Kettering also invented the first electric cash register.

August 17th 1890
Ralph R. Teetor, creator of the cruise control, was born in Hagerstown, Indiana, on this day in 1890. A mechanical engineer with a degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Teetor started working at the Light Inspection Car Company. This family trade subsequently developed into the Perfect Circle Company, of which Teetor became president. Teetor had a knack for inventions and continued to work on new ideas after his retirement. His achievements are even more impressive because he was blinded at the age of six, but never let his physical disability keep him from his dream of becoming an inventor.