Vintage Automobiles - Motor Trend's 100 Years Automobile In America

Where were you in '96? 1896, That IsWe doubt many current Motor Trend readers were around when the automobile first became a smoking, coughing, barely-moving-under-its-own-power achievement, so you'll have to trust us on this: 1996 marks the 100th anniversary of the automobile in America-the year Ransom Eli Olds debuted his first working car on the streets of Lansing, Michigan, and Henry Ford completed his first car (the two-cylinder, four-horsepower Quadricycle). Charles and Frank Duryea already were way ahead of Oldsmobile and Ford, having begun work on their first one-cylinder "motor wagon" in 1892 and building 13 duplicatable cars of their own design for customers by 1896; it's the Duryeas who are acclaimed for building the first American "production automobile." Most historians credit Karl Benz with inventing the first viable car (in Germany in 1886) and give a nod to the fact that there were self-propelled-vehicle tinkerers in the States before 1896, but no builder can be accurately documented as the absolute first domestic builder. Therefore, the debut of Duryea production is generally agreed upon as marking the beginning of America's auto industry. So, just how far have we come in a century? The following is a timeline account of some of the highlights and low points of our flamboyant automaking heritage.

1896:Duryea Brothers go into car biz.

1897:Olds Motor Vehicle Company opens its doors, and the unique Stanley Steamer debuts.

1899:First factory opens to build cars-Oldsmobiles, in fact.

1900:Future Cadillac majordomo, Henry Leland, develops idea of "interchangeable parts," thereby greatly reducing the number of times per day an auto assembler yelled the phrase, "Somebody hand me a sledge so I can get this piston to fit."

1901:Bathtub magnate David Dunbar Buick builds his first car.

1902:Cadillac Automobile Company founded.

1903:Ford Motor Company formed, with just $28,000 in cash.

1905:First stolen car reported (in St. Louis).

1908:Henry Ford's affordable, indestructible Model T debuts and puts America on wheels. Also in 1908, William Crapo Durant puts together a venture capital deal that creates General Motors.

1910:The first rear-view mirror is used in Ray Harroun's Marmon Wasp, the car he would drive to victory at the inaugural Indy 500 the following year.

1911: Chevrolet Motor Company organizes.

1912:Cadillac reduces the number of users' broken wrists by introducing the first electric self-starter. Also in 1912, the first white traffic lines appear on a street in Redlands, California, but few drivers know what they meant-several head-ons later, some people begin to catch on.

1913:First moving production line powers-up at Ford's Highland Park, Michigan, plant.

1914:Work begins on the Lincoln Highway, America's first transcontinental road, stretching from New York to San Francisco, while the nation's first red/green traffic light is installed in Cleveland.

1916:Packard introduces its "Twin-Six" engine, the world's first production V-12.

1918:Chevrolet becomes part of the growing General Motors conglomerate.

1920:Iowa farm boys Fred and Augie Duesenberg build the first of what would become one of the finest American automotive marques of all time.

1921:First drive-in restaurant opens: Royce Hailey's Pig Stand, in Dallas, where you didn't have to practice good hygiene in order to be served.

1924:Walter P. Chrysler builds the first car bearing his name.

1925:The Lincoln Highway is completed.

1926:Harley Earl forms GM's Art and Color section, the first Detroit auto styling studio. Also in 1926, Errett Lobban Cord saves Duesenberg from financial ruin by purchasing the company and beginning work on the fabled and flamboyant Model J.

1927:The last Model T is built (number 15,007,033), much to the delight of Edsel Ford, who had spent nearly 10 years trying to persuade his pop to retire the then-hopelessly-outdated auto.

1928:Ford's all-modern Model A appears.

1929:The stock market crashes; the auto market dives as well.

1930:Cadillac unveils its first V-16 engine.

1932:Ford builds the classic "deuce" roadster, with V-8 power, birthing street rodding in the process. Also in 1932, the Oakland merges with Pontiac Motor Division.

1933:The first drive-in movie theater opens, in Camden, New Jersey.

1934:Chrysler styling goes "deco" with the advent of the Airflow sedan.

1937:Oldsmobile offers the first semi-automatic "Safety Transmission." Also, the ill-fated Chrysler Airflow goes out of production.

1939:FoMoCo launches the upscale Mercury division.

1940:Packard introduces air conditioning, and Oldsmobile offers the first "Hydra-matic" fully automatic transmission (as a $57 option).

1941:World War II gives rise to the need for the ubiquitous General Purpose 4x4 (G.P. ), affectionately nicknamed "Jeep." More war-year news: GM, Ford, and Chrysler stop production of civilian vehicles to build tanks, trucks, and airplanes for the Allies. Gasoline and tires are rationed, and the national speed limit is set at 35 mph.

1947:Henry Ford and Billy Durant die. Preston Tucker hawks stock in his new company, promising to build a "safety car."

1948:The first all-new post-war Cadillac emerges, wearing Harley Earl's P-38-inspired tailfins. Also that year: Tucker Corporation builds 51 cars before folding under accusations of fraud.

1949:The Volkswagen Beetle hits U.S. dealers-two are sold. Also in 1949, Cadillac's lightweight and powerful 331-cubic-inch V-8 joins Olds' new V-8 and starts the horsepower race. Even better news: Hot Rod magazine founder Robert E. Petersen launches Motor Trend and the Car of the Year award.

1953:GM's Motorama show car, the Corvette, becomes a production reality, with Blue Flame six power.

1955:The Chevrolet small-block V-8 debuts at 265 cubic inches in the all-new '55 Chevy and Corvette, and Chrysler shows its hi-po 300 coupe. Also, Ford fights the Vette with its own V-8 two-seater, called the Thunderbird.

1957:The first Toyopet (later known as Toyota) cars arrive in America. Semon E. "Bunkie" Knudsen, son of the former head of GM, takes over Pontiac and begins the formerly moribund division's motorsport involvement and the "Wide Track" movement. Also in 1957, fuel injection helps the Corvette's 283 V-8 produce one horsepower per cubic inch.

1958:American automobile manufacturers' cooperative ban on involvement in auto racing is largely ignored; factory parts are doled out the back door to "private" teams. Also, Ford makes its T-Bird a four-seater and outsells the previous model by 75 percent. Meanwhile, Ford begins its costly mistake, the Edsel, named after Henry Ford's son.

1959:Cadillac puts mile-high tailfins on its new lineup and creates the definitive '50s icon. The first Daytona 500 is run.

1960:Chevy introduces the Corvair, an air-cooled, rear-engined VW fighter. Ford counters with the more-conventional Falcon, but kills the cash-hemorrhaging Edsel Division.

1962:Chevy's four-speed, dual-quad 409 Biscayne quickly becomes known as the street-racing king. Also, 1962 sees the debut of the Shelby Cobra, Pontiac Grand Prix, 327 Vette, and lightweight 426 Max Wedge Mopars.

1963:Arrival of the "split-window" Sting Ray and gorgeous Buick Riviera.

1964:The youth market bursts forth with Mustang, GTO, and the Chevelle Super Sport!

1965:The megapower 396 Corvette and 427 Cobra become the ultimate thrill rides. Also in 1965, Shelby hops-up a Mustang and Pontiac dishes out the sleek 421-powered Catalina 2+2.

1966:Faster, faster: the 427 Corvette, 426 Hemi, and the first fastback Dodge Charger. More in 1966: Oldsmobile wows 'em with its futuristic front-drive Toronado, and Ralph Nader publishes his Corvair-hating poison-pen tome, "Unsafe at Any Speed."

1967:Here come the ponycar challengers: the Camaro, Firebird, and Cougar. Additional fast '67s: Shelby stuffs a 428 V-8 in his GT500, Plymouth pumps 440 cubes into its Satellite GTX, and Buick unchains the luxo-brute Skylark GS400.

1968:American Motors gets hot with its 390-powered AMX, Plymouth goes comic with its 383-powered Road Runner, and Cadillac's torquey 472 V-8 owns the brag of being the largest-displacement production car engine in the world.

1969:GM and Ford go SCCA Trans-Am road racing in a big way, with striped and spoilered lookalikes for civilian use. Behold the redesigned Camaro Z/28, ravishing white-and-blue Pontiac Trans-Am, and the new Boss 302/Boss 429 and Mach I Mustangs. Meanwhile, Honda exports its first car to the U.S.: the tiny 600 model.

1970:Behold the largest factory-installed engine in a Corvette (the 454 V-8) and the largest modern production car engine of them all: the Cadillac Eldorado's 500-cid (8.2-liter) V-8. More big-motored '70s: Dodge Challenger 440 Six-Pak, Hemi 'Cuda, Buick's 455 GSX, Olds' 455-powered 442 W30, and the awesome Chevelle 454 LS6. Also in 1970: The minitruck boom begins with the plain but rugged Datsun and Toyota half-tons. Plus, for the first time, Americans stand in line for a Japanese car: the Datsun 240Z-a fun, affordable, stylish two-seater. Out of this world in 1971.

1971:The first car is driven on the moon: the Boeing/DelcoLunar Rover. Performance death knell #1: GM lowers the compression ratio (and horsepower) on all its engines as it readies for "low-lead" and unleaded gasoline. More 1971 doom: The gas-saving Chevy Vega and Ford Pinto debut.

1973:The Corvette manages to hold on to its 454 as most other hot motors get the axe, but this is the last year for the big-block V-8.

1974:Death knell #2: The first OPEC oil embargo hits drivers in the wallet, leading to enactment of the 55-mph national speed limit. Meanwhile, Cadillac, Oldsmobile and FoMoCo test-market airbags in select models. Also in 1974, millionaire Malcom Bricklin tries his hand at building an AMC-powered gullwing-door "safety car," while cross-dresser "Liz Carmichael" dupes some folks with his/her proposed three-wheel Dale.

1975:Despite the dawn of the catalytic converter, Chevy tries to resurrect the musclecar by stuffing a two-barrel 350 V-8 into the snout of its new Vega-based Monza, but certifies it for California buyers only. Also, Bricklin ceases production of his SV-1 safety car, after building 2875 units.

1976:Cadillac battles OPEC influence with its "personal size" Seville, the first downsized domestic Mercedes-fighter, while greedy collectors snap up the much-lauded "last" American convertible, the great white Eldorado.

1977:GM downsizes its full-size cars.

1978:Death knell #3: The dreaded government-mandated Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) requirements (18 mpg) are legislated.

1979:The final blow: Another OPEC oil embargo brings back gas lines and a car-hating public.

1980:Chrysler Corp. narrowly avoids bankruptcy by securing government-backed loans.

1982:A single performance beacon shines from the gloom of nearly a decade of go-slow cars: the 5.0-liter/147-horse Mustang GT is born. More in 1982: The stylish all-new Camaro and Firebird arrive, but don't have the muscle to back their images-yet.

1983:Chevy pumps 190 horses out of its new 305 H.O. V-8, and brings the Camaro Z28 back into the tire-smoking limelight, but Ford's ready with a 175-horse version of its street-tough Mustang GT. Other news for 1983: Carroll Shelby helps out old pal Lee Iacocca at Chrysler and creates the pint-size performer, the Dodge Shelby Charger, while Buick goes ballistic with its first all-black turbo V-6 Grand National Regal.

1984:Two new market niches explode this year: Chrysler comes back from the dead with its first minivan, while Jeep (then owned by AMC) brings out its compact Cherokee sport/utility. 1984's other breaking story: The first all-new Corvette in 16 years arrives early (actually out in mid-'83) exclusively with a 5.7-liter/205-horsepower V-8.

1985:GM's new tuned-port fuel-injection system makes the Vette a true 250-horse, 150-mph musclecar. But Ford's not far behind, with a similar setup for its now-215-horse Mustang GT.

1986:FoMoCo rocks the family-sedan establishment with the first Taurus and Sable.

1987:Chrysler, now making big bucks, buys American Motors.

1989:Pontiac builds a limited run of 3.8-liter/250-horsepower turbo V-6 Trans Ams in Indy 500 Pace Car livery and creates the quickest-accelerating domestic car in the process.

1990:Ford's Explorer, the largest-selling sport/ute model of today's world, hits the market. Also in 1990, Chevy unleashes crazed journalists on the roads of Europe to taste the talents of the costly but quick, 375-horse DOHC V-8 Corvette ZR-1. The Honda Accord becomes the best-selling car in the United States.

1991:The Cobra for the '90s, Dodge's Viper RT/10, paces the Indy 500 with heart-transplant-recipient Carroll Shelby behind the wheel. More 1991 fun: GMC surprises the world with its turbo/all-wheel-drive Syclone super truck. 1991 sensibility: GM launches the "teamwork built" Saturn brand.

1992:The Viper goes into production.

1993:The redesigned Camaro and Firebird hit the mean streets with 275-horse LT1 V-8s and six-speed gearbox. Not to be outdone, the Corvette ZR-1 now boasts 405 ponies. More power in 1993: Cadillac's world-class Northstar DOHC V-8 makes the Seville a near-150-mph sedan.

1994:The Mustang receives its first major redesign in 15 years. Chevy resurrects the Impala SS name for a sinister black LT1-powered muscle sedan.

1995:While the redesigned Ford Explorer and Chevy Blazer bring more luxury to the SUV marketplace, BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes, and Volvo deliver true muscle sedans-and a wagon.

1996:The all-new Chrysler minivans steal the show, and the redesigned Ford Taurus takes families futuristic. GM shocks the world by introducing its first production electric car, the $35,000 EV1. Closer to home: MT founder Robert E. Petersen buys Preston Tucker's personal '48 Tucker Torpedo at auction for $280,000, and displays it at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.

Editor's note: Motor Trend is proud to participate in a time capsule commemorating the 100 years of the American automobile. Created by the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), the do-not-open-until-2096 capsule will be housed at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Included is a copy of the first issue of MT (Sept. '49), a Car of the Year golden caliper trophy, and our "New Cars 1996" issue (Oct. '95), which details the more than 170 makes and models of today's cars. Hopefully, those in attendance when the great cylindrical pod is unearthed will have driven to the event in something resembling today's automobiles. Otherwise, they just won't understand what all the fuss was about.

Want to know more about America's automotive history?

Motor Trend has published a special commemorative book entitled "100 Years of the Automobile in America." This collector's edition chronicles the ups and downs of the automotive industry in 10-year segments, profiling the great and not-so-great models, flamboyant styling trends, the tire-burning horsepower wars, and the people who made it all happen. Available at select newsstands and bookstores, Motor Trend's "100 Years of the Automobile in America" is one you'll want to keep.