Automotive History

By William G. Sawyer
Contributing Editor, The Virtual Driver
Photos © Nostalgic Motoring Ltd.

(July 15, 2017) For some, automobile addiction is a fatal disease. It begins innocently enough. An exotic car catches our eye, a friend gives us a spirited ride, or we wander into an auto race that awakens urges we didn’t realize we had.  For many, the auto gene lays dormant from birth, waiting to be unleashed by that first whiff of gasoline and tortured gear lube.

1978 Subaru advertisement

(February 16, 2017) CHERRY HILL, N.J. — Subaru today announced its year of 50th celebrations, leading up to its 50th anniversary on Feb. 15, 2018. In keeping with a company known for supporting good causes, the automaker is marking its 50th anniversary with a special donation of “50 cars for 50 years” to benefit a national charity to be announced at a later date.

(November 10, 2016) Hilton Head Island, S.C. — Students from the College of Charleston worked with the Historic Vehicle Association (HVA) to add the 1920 Anderson Six Convertible Roadster to the National Historic Vehicle Register in celebration of 100 years of the automotive industry in South Carolina (1916 – 2016).  The 1920 Anderson is one of only seven known survivors of South Carolina’s first automobile company that operated between 1916 and 1922.  

(September 28, 2016) MUNICH, Germany — 2016 marks the 30th anniversary of a motoring icon, one which revolutionized the mid-size sports car segment when its production started in 1986. The very first BMW M3 set a new standard by which other carmakers would be measured, and, five model generations later, are still judged today.