This Week in Automotive History: May 21-27
May 21, 1914
Greyhound Bus Company Founded: Laid-off miner Carl Wickman and Andrew Anderson establish the bus service to provide transportation for miners using a 1914 Hupmobile that Wickman—now a car salesman—had been unable to sell.
May 22, 1969
Movie, “Winning,” released, starring Paul Newman: Before his success as a top amateur road racer and Indy Car owner, Newman starred as up-and-coming racer Frank Capua. The female lead was played by Newman’s wife, Joanne Woodward, and they were also joined by Robert Wagner and Richard Thomas. Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony Hulman and drivers Bobby Unser, Bobby Grim, Dan Gurney and Roger McCluskey also had roles playing themselves.
May 23, 1972
Rubens Barichello Born: Popular Brazilian racing driver Rubens Barichello is born on this day in São Paulo. In his long career in Formula 1, which stretched from 1993-2011, he drove for Jordan, Steward, Ferrari, Honda, Brawn GP and Williams, racking up 11 wins. For 2012 he is competing in the IndyCar series for KV Racing Technology.
May 24, 1899
First Auto Repair Shop opens in Boston: At a time when most automobiles had to go back to the factory or be repaired by the local blacksmith, W.T. McCullough establishes the Back Bay Cycle and Motor Company, which was the first dedicated auto repair shop in the United States.
May 25, 1994
Man buried in his Corvette: George Swanson, a beer distributor from Hempfield County, Penn., is cremated and has his ashes placed on the driver’s seat of his white 1984 Corvette, which is then buried in the multiple cemetery plots he had purchased. As a concession to the environment, the cemetery mandated that all fluids be drained from the car.
May 26, 1923
First 24 Hours of Le Mans Race: The world’s oldest endurance race has been held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. The first race is won by André Lagache and René Léonard driving a Chenard & Walcker and rolling on Michelin tires.
May 27, 1927
Last Model T Ford built: After an astonishing production run that began in 1908 and produced a record 15,007,033 units built, the last Tin Lizzie rolls out of the factory so it can be converted for production of the Model A.
