The Great Automobile Race of 1908
July 30, 2008 12:32 AM   Subscribe

On 30th July 1908, after 169 days of competition, the 4-cylinder, 60-horsepower Thomas Flyer, driven by George Schuster from America, crossed the finish line to win the Great 1908 New York-to-Paris Automobile Race. After driving to the West Coast, the vehicles were shipped to Vladivostok from where only three teams managed to continue with the race across Asia and Europe.

[I wonder if Time will change their title to 'New York-to-Paris'?]
See also:
-The Great Auto Race 1908
-The Greatest Auto Race on Earth
posted by peacay (5 comments total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
Amazing. Especially when you think of what 1908 automobile technology (the tyres in particular come to mind) must have been like.
posted by Phanx at 2:36 AM on July 30, 2008


Also a subject of the Blake Edwards film The Great Race. Which also has the largest pie fight ever stagged.
Brandy, Brandy, throw more Brandy.
posted by doctoryes at 2:52 AM on July 30, 2008


Dom Deluise is NOT impressed
posted by peewinkle at 4:16 AM on July 30, 2008


I could have done with some description of the siberia-paris leg of the trip. The article talks up the accomplishment of driving from NYC to SF in 22 days, what about the other 5 months (less after shipping time) spent driving across a place that EVEN NOW is a miserable proposition and the primary thoroughfare is nicknamed the "road of bones". Siberia, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe must have been gnarly 100 years ago. I couldn't even find a map of the route that they took. Super interesting topic, but all the information out there is pretty shallow.
posted by youthenrage at 6:53 AM on July 30, 2008


youtheenrage, you're essentially right: the photos are the mainstay of the post and web presence, although there is a google maps intinerary/route available.
posted by peacay at 7:37 AM on July 30, 2008


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