Automotive History
The History of Aston Martin: From Aston Hill to James Bond
Aston Martin was founded in 1913 and named after the Aston Hill climb. David Brown's DB cars, James Bond, Le Mans 1959 and the modern Aston Martin.
2 min read
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Automotive History
How the automobile, the great marques and the roads of New York and New Jersey came to be.
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Automotive History articles
Automotive History
What Do Audi's Four Rings Mean? The Story of Auto Union
Audi's four rings stand for Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer, merged as Auto Union in 1932. The August Horch story, Silver Arrows and Audi's rebirth.
2 min read
Automotive History
The Bentley Boys: The Wealthy Racers Who Conquered Le Mans
Woolf Barnato, Tim Birkin, Sammy Davis and the Bentley Boys won Le Mans five times. The 1927 crash, the Blue Train race and their legacy.
2 min read
Automotive History
The History of Bentley: From W.O. Bentley to Crewe's Modern Grand Tourers
W.O. Bentley founded Bentley in 1919 and won Le Mans five times, then lost his company to Rolls-Royce. How Bentley rose, fell and revived under VW.
2 min read
Automotive History
The Benz Patent-Motorwagen: The 1886 'Birth Certificate' of the Automobile
In 1886 Carl Benz patented a three-wheeled motor carriage widely considered the first automobile. How it worked and why its patent matters.
2 min read
Automotive History
Bertha Benz and the World's First Road Trip (1888)
In August 1888 Bertha Benz drove 66 miles with her sons without telling her husband Carl. How she fixed the car on the way and proved it worked.
2 min read
Automotive History
The History of BMW: From Aircraft Engines to the Ultimate Driving Machine
BMW began building aircraft engines in 1916, then motorcycles and cars. The near-bankruptcy of 1959, the Neue Klasse revival and today's BMW Group.
2 min read
Automotive History
Is the BMW Logo a Spinning Propeller? The Truth About the Roundel
The BMW roundel is often said to show a spinning propeller. BMW says the design comes from its predecessor's logo and Bavaria's colors. Here's the story.
2 min read
Automotive History
Bugatti Royale: The Car Built for Kings That No King Bought
Ettore Bugatti's Type 41 Royale had a 12.7-litre engine and was meant for royalty. Only seven were built, none sold to a king. The full story.
2 min read
Automotive History
The Electric Self-Starter: How Cadillac and Charles Kettering Ended the Hand Crank
In 1912 Cadillac introduced the electric self-starter, invented by Charles Kettering. Why the hand crank was dangerous and how the starter changed who drove.
2 min read
Automotive History
The History of Cadillac: 'The Standard of the World' Since 1902
Cadillac was founded in 1902 from the remains of Henry Ford's second company. Interchangeable parts, the electric starter, the V16 and the Escalade.
2 min read
Automotive History
The History of Chevrolet: From Louis Chevrolet to America's Everyday Brand
Chevrolet was founded in 1911 by Louis Chevrolet and William Durant. The bowtie legend, beating Ford, the Corvette, the small-block V8 and the Suburban.
2 min read
Automotive History
Cord 810: The 1936 'Coffin Nose' That Was Decades Ahead of Its Time
The 1936 Cord 810 had front-wheel drive, hidden headlights and no running boards. How Gordon Buehrig's design debuted in New York and why Cord failed.
2 min read
Automotive History
Duesenberg Model J: America's Greatest Luxury Car of the 1930s
The 1928 Duesenberg Model J had a 265-hp straight-eight and cost a fortune. The Duesenberg brothers' racing roots, E.L. Cord and the 'doozy' legend.
2 min read
Automotive History
The History of Ferrari: From Scuderia to Maranello Legend
Enzo Ferrari ran Alfa Romeo's racing team before building his own cars in 1947. The prancing horse, Formula 1 dominance and Ferrari's road-car legacy.
2 min read
Automotive History
What Was the First Car in America? The Duryea Brothers and Early Pioneers
The Duryea brothers road-tested America's first successful gasoline car in 1893 in Springfield, Massachusetts, and won the first U.S. auto race in 1895.
2 min read
Automotive History
The First Speeding Arrest: New York City, 1899
In May 1899 New York taxi driver Jacob German was arrested for driving 12 mph — the first known speeding arrest in the U.S. How speed limits began.
2 min read
Automotive History
Henry Bliss: America's First Motor Vehicle Pedestrian Fatality (New York, 1899)
On September 13, 1899, Henry Bliss was struck by an electric taxi on Central Park West — the first recorded U.S. pedestrian death involving a motor vehicle.
2 min read
Automotive History
The Ford Model T: The Car That Put the World on Wheels
The Ford Model T (1908–1927) and the moving assembly line made cars affordable. Over 15 million built, the $5 day and 'any color so long as it is black'.
2 min read
Automotive History
The Garden State Parkway: History of New Jersey's Shore Highway
The Garden State Parkway runs 172 miles from Cape May to the New York line. Why it bans trucks up north, how it was built and why exits start at Zero.
2 min read
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