 the new all aluminum LT-5 32 valves V8 engine designed in collaboration with Lotus (at that time partly owned by GM) and assembled by Mercury Marine in Stillwater OK USA. It was considered to be one of the fastest production cars in the world with it’s top speed of 180mph and a zero to 60 time of 4.3 seconds.
There were 193 million registered autos in the U.S.
In the United States, for example, there was one vehicle for every 1.6 person in 1990; in Mexico, that ratio dropped to one for every 8.9 people, while in Brazil there was only one vehicle for every 12 people.
Chrysler sells off most of its stock in Mitsubishi Motors.
In 1991, GM launched the fully electric EV1. This car looked and drove like the future, but it wasn’t without faults. The EV1 had long charge times, and though it promised 70-90 miles on a charge, Popular Mechanics’ own real-world testing at the time saw ranges closer to 50-60 miles. The EV1s were all leased vehicles and famously crushed upon their return to GM, and to some it seemed like the EV resurgence was cursed along with them. But let’s not forget that the first practical full electric car was built by Robert Anderson in 1832.
BMW announced in 1992 that it would build a 1,150-acre (470 ha) manufacturing facility in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States to strengthen its international production system. The plant opened in 1994.
High Intensity Discharge headlamps (far brighter than traditional halogen lamps) were first installed in European production sedans. They were much brighter than halogen headlamps. The LED followed in the early 2000’s.
On December 12th of that year, Bill Clinton signed the new law for the NAFTA agreement which had a major impacted on the automotive business manufacturing strategies.
McLaren chief engineer and designer Gordon Murray, launch the fastest, most technologically advance super car in the world, the “McLaren F1”. Other then its outstanding lines, it features a middle (center) driving position and was the first carbon fiber monocoque road car. The McLaren F1’s engine compartment contains the mid-mounted 6.1L V12 BMW S70/2 engine producing 618hp and uses gold foil as a heat shield in the exhaust compartment. Top speed is 240mph (386km/h).
Eventually Honda became dissatisfied with the venture, and British Aerospace sold the Rover/Mini operations to the German automaker BMW (Bavarian Motor Works).
The 79th Indianapolis 500was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 28, 1995. Sanctioned by USAC, it was part of the 1995 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season. Jacques Villeneuve won in his second start. Race winner Jacques Villeneuve’s day was not without incident, as he was penalized two laps for inadvertently passing the pace car during a caution period in the early segment of the race. Through both strategy and luck, the young driver made up the deficit during the race, earning the “Indy 505” sobriquet.
Ford and GM increased their financial stakes in Mazda and Isuzu respectively, with Ford taking operative control of Mazda.
As the name would suggest, OBD II was an evolution of the first on-board diagnostics systems protocol of the 1980s. OBD II provided far more diagnostic capability, allowing technicians and home mechanics to find out exactly what was wrong with their car through specific codes accessed by a 16 pins connector. Want to know why your engine was running poorly? OBD II could tell you that a specific cylinder was misfiring. OBD II allowed the adaptation of far more complex and precise air and fuel management in the engine. And this more sophisticated control over the engine has produced improved fuel economy as well as the enhanced performance we’ve seen in the last two decades.
Canadian Jacques Villeneuve win the FIA Formula One championship. The title was decided at the final round in Jerez. Villeneuve came out on top and won the World Championship in only his second season, but the race was remembered for a collision between himself and title rival Schumacher. To date, Jacques is the only Canadian to have achieved this rank in this prestigious competitive sport.
Chrysler was merged with Germany’s Daimler-Benz AG, which then became DaimlerChrysler.
Volkswagen buys Rolls-Royce and Bentley.
BMW buys back the Rolls Royce brand from Volkswagen.
If you drive a newish car with push-button start, the experience of climbing into an older car and turning a key to fire it up feels surprisingly dated. Over the past couple decades, smart key fobs have made getting in and starting your car nearly effortless. Simply leave the fob in your pocket. As you approach, doors will unlock by simply touching the handle. Once inside the engine purrs to life with an easy push of a starter button. It’s a level of personalization and convenience that’s almost standard today. Not so long ago this sensation was a pure novelty. In 1998, Mercedes-Benz was the first to offer the tech. Some of the first versions were credit card-sized slivers of plastic, but those evolved into the fobs we have today.
That year, 8.7 million vehicles were sold in the Untied States.
BMW sold the Land Rover segment to Ford.
It’s no coincidence that we see far fewer cars parked on the side of the road with a flat tire these days? Big improvements in tire technology had a lot to do with it and run-flat tires have enjoyed a spike in popularity over the past two decades. But the standardization of tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) in cars means that owners are warned about their under-inflated tires before real trouble happens.
Dale Earnhardt was an American race car driver who gained worldwide fame as a stock car driver for NASCAR, recording seven Winston Cup Championship victories and 76 career wins, including the 1998 Daytona 500. He was killed in a final-lap collision in the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 18 of that year. After Earnhardt’s death, NASCAR began an intensive focus on safety which generated the invention of the HANS devise which is a head and neck restrain now mandatory in all automotive racing series in the world since 2002.
Infiniti launched a lifesaver with the first backup camera available in the new Q45. With a camera mounted below the trunk lid and a monitor in the dash, these early systems saved lives and made parking far easier for thousands of car owners.
The final fourth-generation Camaro was built on 27 August 2002 after which the Boisbriand plant, located in the province of Quebec just outside of Montreal then closed down. Total production for 2002 was 42,098 units.
Dual clutch transmissions have been used in racing since the 1980s. Volkswagen was the first to popularize the transmission and democratize its use in production cars. VW’s dual clutch transmission, called DSG, was launched in mainstream performance vehicles like the GTI in 2003. The downside of dual-clutch? They put a big nail in the manual transmission’s coffin. Today, these transmissions are used by just about every brand in performance applications, from Mercedes-Benz to Lamborghini.
The Ford GTis an American mid-engine two-seater sports car manufactured and marketed by Ford for model year 2005 in conjunction with the company’s 2003 centenary. The Ford GT began production again from the 2017 model year. The GT recalls Ford’s historically significant GT40, a consecutive four-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1966–1969), including a 1-2-3 finish in 1966. Ford GT has the gulf edition. Henry Ford II had wanted a Ford at Le Mans since the early 1960s. In early 1963, Ford reportedly received word through a European intermediary that Enzo Ferrari was interested in selling to Ford Motor Company. Ford reportedly spent several million dollars in an audit of Ferrari factory assets and in legal negotiations, only to have Ferrari unilaterally cut off talks at a late stage due to disputes about the ability to direct open wheel racing. Ferrari, who wanted to remain the sole operator of his company’s motor sports division, was angered when he was told that he would not be allowed to race at the Indianapolis 500 if the deal went through since Ford fielded Indy cars using its own engine, and didn’t want competition from Ferrari. Enzo cut the deal off out of spite and Henry Ford II, enraged, directed his racing division to find a company that could build a Ferrari-beater on the world endurance-racing circuit.
In 2006, Toyota continued to be the industry leader in manufacturing, followed by General Motors (once the largest U.S. corporation), Ford, Volkswagen, and Honda.
South America’s Mercosur Trade Agreement and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) have stimulated exports by further eliminating trade barriers between producing nations. Major international carmakers moved to Mexico’s side of the border with the United States after the passage of NAFTA. In 2006, Mexico produced two million cars, a record number. Argentina’s auto industry has had a difficult time adjusting to international competition and in the early twenty-first century has been restructuring.
Audi took a historic first diesel engine wins in the Le Mans 24 Hours, on the R10 TDI’s debut in the Sarthe classic. This is the most ambitious and the most expensive project ever undertaken by Audi Sport; the Audi R10 TDI project