This Day in Auto History: 12.17.1909 The Indianapolis Motor Speedway holds its grand opening, complete with the ceremonial laying of the last “golden” brick by Indiana Governor Thomas R. Marshall 12.17.1925 “The New Stutz Vertical Eight, with Safety Body”, the first Stutz designed during the Frederic E. Moskovics era, is unveiled to dealers 12.17.1945 William F. Milward, designer of the Charron-Laycock automobile, dies at age 66 12.17.1956 Great Britain begins emergency gasoline rationing because of the Suez Canal crisis in Egypt 12.17.1973 A Buick Apollo with a reworked 1960’s V-6 engine is driven by Chief Engineer Phillip C. Bowser from Flint, MI to the General Motors’ building in Detroit, MI where President Edward N. Cole drives it to the former Kaiser-Jeep Corporation plant in Toledo, OH - the end result was Buick’s return to the V-6 engine and one of the more successful reactions to the OPEC crisis