Calendar page: February 25 - March 3

We invite you to an overview of events in the history of the automotive industry, the anniversary of which falls this week.

February 25.02.1899, XNUMX | Renault was born

Louis Renault was an automobile engineer who experimented with automobiles in the late 1898 century. In 30, he managed to build an extremely successful four-wheeled design called a car (Voiturette). The car used an engine from the recognized French brand De-Dion-Bouton, which made it possible to reach speeds of over km/h.

On Christmas Eve 1898, Louis Renault shared the structure with a friend of his father, who immediately asked the designer to build it for himself. This gave impetus to the creation of the company and the launch of commercial production. Louis Renault decided to enter into partnership with his two brothers and on February 25, 1899 they founded the Societe Renault Freres.

Louise Renault's Voiturette was the first car produced by the new company. Since 1903, Renault began to produce its own engines, and later military vehicles. The company grew very quickly and went beyond the borders of France.

February 26.02.1936, XNUMX | Opening of the first Volkswagen plant.

The rapid development of Volkswagen comes only after the war, but as many well remember, the idea of ​​​​a car for the people originated in the Third Reich. In 1934, Hitler entrusted this task to Ferdinand Porsche, who a year later built the first prototypes and began testing. In the meantime, the Volkswagen plant was built, which was opened by Adolf Hitler on February 26, 1936. In fact, the plant started operating in 1938, and after the release of about 210 copies of the Volkswagen Beetle, the production of military vehicles based on it began - it was the Kubelwagen SUV and its derivative, the Schwimmwagen amphibious car.

The first Volkswagen cars were captured by the Nazis. Mass production began only after the war. The beginning was extremely difficult, as the country was devastated by the war, but Volkswagen survived the worst period and today is one of the largest automobile concerns in the world.

In 2017, over 10,7 million vehicles were produced at 123 factories around the world.

February 27.02.1951, XNUMX | Birth of Walter de Silva

At the end of February, Italian designer Walter de Silva, who has had a huge influence on the design of Alfa Romeo, Audi and Seat in recent decades, celebrates his birthday. Before becoming the face of several brands, he began his career at the Fiat Design Center in the early XNUMXs.

In 1973, at the age of 22, he was commissioned to design the dashboard for a Fiat 125p MR 75. His career later took off. In 1986, he became the head of the Alfa Romeo styling center and until 1999 was responsible for the appearance of the brand's cars. The next stop was Seat, where it was supposed to add some sportiness to the updated line of the Spanish brand. The following tasks were assigned by other companies of the Volkswagen Group: Audi, where he was involved, including the design of the Audi A5 or R8, and from 2007 to 2015, Walter de Silva was head of the Volkswagen design department.

February 28.02.1932, XNUMX | Late Model Ford A

Ford's Model T power wouldn't last long if it weren't for a worthy successor that was affordable, reliable, and yet clearly better than its predecessor. It soon became clear that the new Ford was a success. In the first two weeks, approximately 400 units were ordered. copies. Production began in 1927 and continued until February 1932 years. Before this, millions of cars were produced in literally dozens of passenger and cargo modifications.

The Ford Model A was the brand's first car with a standard pedal system (clutch, brake, throttle) and shifter between the seats. The three-speed gearbox was out of sync, so intergas had to be used while driving.

The Ford Model A was a real success and, despite its short production time, went down in automotive history, and today it is often used for the production of hot rods.

March 1.03.1907, XNUMX | Birth of the Daihatsu brand

Daihatsu is much older than some of the big Japanese competitors. The brand traces its history back to March 1, 1907, when Hatsudoki Seizo Co was founded, producing internal combustion engines for industrial use. 6 hp engine was the first internal combustion engine developed in Japan.

The first work on cars began in the 1930s. In 500, the first 3cc motorcycle engine was developed. In 1931, the first three-wheeled cargo motorcycle HB was put into production.

The Daihatsu brand was officially established on March 1, 1951. Daihatsu established cooperation with Toyota in 1967, and in 1998 the Japanese concern acquired a controlling stake in the company.

For years, Daihatsu has specialized in small commercial vehicles, kei cars and even small SUVs. Today, it manufactures primarily for the Asian market, although attempts have been made in Europe and the US in the past.

March 2.03.1966, XNUMX | Millionth Ford Mustang

The success of the Ford Mustang surprised even those who believed in design. The company did everything to make the new sports car a spectacular start. The massive marketing campaign cost a fortune but reached millions of Americans. Many of them decided to visit a car dealership and purchase their Mustang.

Sales began on April 17, 1964, and the first million Ford vehicles were sold on March 2, 1966. One can only imagine the panic at the headquarters of General Motors or Chrysler, which could not compete with any similar car. It wasn't until 1967 that the great Chevrolet Camaro competitor emerged.

March 3.03.2009, XNUMX | Start of sales of Maybach Zeppelin

Maybach was one of the most prestigious limousine manufacturers before World War II, but did not return to car production after the war. In 1960, the rights to the brand were bought by Mercedes. Only in 1997 did the German concern introduce the Maybach 57 and 62, two models designed to compete with Rolls-Royce and Bentley in the most expensive limousine market.

Both models were unsuccessful. They did not sell well, despite the technical progress, spaciousness and powerful AMG engines. One of the last attempts to keep the brand on the market was the presentation of the Zeppelin model at the Geneva Motor Show. Compared to the regular 57 and 62 models, it had an even more luxurious handcrafted interior and a 28 hp engine. (649 hp).

The name Zeppelin refers to the most luxurious versions of the Maybach 100s. Production of this model was limited to 524 copies, and prices started from 2013 thousand. dollars for the shorter version. The Maybach brand disappeared from the market this year due to poor financial results.