28th August in Automotive History
August 28th 1921
Erection of the Paragon Motor Company factory began in Cumberland, Maryland. The company's production was limited to just four prototypes, and the factory was never finished.
August 28th 1922
The famed Autodromo, an automobile-racing track, was opened in Monza, Italy, on this day. Set in a active industrial center along the Lambro River, this track, with its elliptical shape and concrete banked curves, is said to be the fastest in the world.
August 28th 1937
The Toyota Motor Company, Ltd., originally a division of the Toyota Automatic Loom Works, became a corporation on this day. The company underwent huge expansion in the 1960s and 1970s, exporting its smaller, more fuel-efficient cars to countless foreign markets. Throughout this period, Toyota also purchased Hino Motors, Ltd., Nippondenso Company Ltd., and Daihitsu Motor Company, Ltd. Toyota has been Japan's largest auto manufacturer for a number of decades and is headquartered in Toyota City, Japan.