1967; At the "Race of Champions'' at Britain's Brands Hatch, Dan Gurney's Eagle-Weslake "screams to first-ever F1 victory for American car.'' He then wins the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa.(50th Anniversary countdown)

Although stretching the rules of racing is not new-anything to get an "unfair advantage''-more science and technology is being used, from aerodynamic foils to squeezing more power out of less engine displacement to a generous interpretation of the rules and the shapes of the cars themselves. To combat these offenses, NASCAR implements standardized templates to help race teams understand how their cars should conform.

The Detroit automakers prepare to fight the federal government over 23 proposed new safety laws. The best that all four companies-AMC, Chrysler, Ford and GM-can do is meet seven of the laws; one says it can reach 10.

Is this the beginning of the end? "Detroit-The auto industry's big three firms have decided that the only way to compete with VW in the growing small car field is with bigger vehicles of their own, built in Europe and marketed aggressively in this country.'' Huh?

Pontiac introduces the Firebird. Its price is $200 more than a Chevrolet Camaro, $2,666 for the coupe and $2,903 for the convertible.

Assets of the Cord Automobile Co. go on the auction block in March.

Carroll Shelby introduces a new product on the heels of the Ford GT350: "Pit Stop,'' a real man's deodorant. In its own effort to reach the automotive lifestyle, Competition Press & AutoWeek sells high-quality Ronson lighters with the helmet logo.

Drag racer Connie Kalitta, 28, hits 219.5 mph and takes the top-fuel eliminator class at Pomona in 7.17 seconds. Curtis Turner smokes the Daytona Oval in a Smokey Yunick Chevrolet Chevelle at 180.8 mph.