1995.(50th Anniversary countdown)

Scotsman Colin McRae, in a Subaru WRX, is the youngest-ever World Rally champion.

BMW and Rolls-Royce agree to put BMW engines in R-R cars, surprising Rolls chairman Peter Ward, who resigns. He'd been negotiating with Mercedes-Benz.

When the 1996 models debut, Ford rolls dice on its F-150, America's best-selling vehicle, with a clean-sheet design for the first time since 1980. It has sleek lines, independent front suspension and a family of overhead-cam V8 engines.

SUVs are the rage, and no company can stand to watch others profit. Lincoln and Mercedes announce plans for SUVs; Toyota debuts the RAV4; General Motors releases the four-door Tahoe/Yukon twins and spikes its full-size rear-drive Caprice/Impala SS, Buick Roadmaster and Cadillac Brougham cars to make room for more trucks.

Kirk Kerkorian, with Lee Iacocca, takes another run at acquiring Chrysler Corp. Rebuffed by management, he returns with Jerry York as his henchman. Rumor has Chrysler talking to Daimler-Benz.

A year ago, Penske cars dominated the Indy 500. This time, the last 500 before the launch of the IRL, the team can't qualify a single car. "We just failed to execute,'' says Roger Penske. Victory goes to Jacques Villeneuve, who wins the CART championship before jumping to Formula One. Stan Fox is critically injured in a horrendous crash during the race.

With the IRL looming, CART takes to calling its series IndyCar. A lot of rhetoric is flying.