Automotive History

1948 Porsche 356

(September 28, 2020) ATLANTA — It was autumn 1950 when a fateful meeting between Professor Ferdinand Porsche and Max Hoffman led to the decision that a fledgling German automotive manufacturer from humble beginnings would begin exporting its sports cars to America. The result was the creation of a bond stronger than anybody could have imagined, and this year, Porsche is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its arrival into the American market.


The first Porsche sports car received its certification for road use in Germany on June 8, 1948, meaning the history between the brand and the U.S. goes back almost to the very beginning. The young sports car company caught the eye of a visionary New York-based salesman. 



(July 4, 2020) It's always fun to look back on days gone by and reminisce about how things used to be. Here you will find some interesting automotive-themed billboards from almost a century ago, all from the East Coast. The 1920s billboard pictures reside at Duke University in Durham, N.C., from the Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising and Marketing history collection.  

(April 29, 2020) Most people who have an even passing interest in automobiles have watched at some point over the past 39 years  MotorWeek — "Television's original automotive magazine" — and host John Davis, who originated the show and remains the host and executive producer.

U.S. troops at Wolsburg railway station in April 1945 with Volkswagen power plant in background

(April 6, 2020) WOLFSBURG, Germany  — 75 years ago, on April 11, 1945, US troops liberated the Volkswagen plant and the city then known as “Stadt des KdF-Wagens” which was later named Wolfsburg to the south of Mittellandkanal. At the Volkswagen plant, about 7,700 forced laborers were freed. Over the eight weeks that followed, the Americans made groundbreaking decisions for the future of the people, the city and the plant. The brief but marked intermezzo of US military rule laid the foundations for democracy, freedom and reconstruction in the region.