Coast to Coast Auto Races of the Early 1900s - Hardcover

McConnell, Curt

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 076800604X ISBN 13: 9780768006049

Publisher: Society of Automotive Engineers,U.S., 2000

Synopsis

Drawing from newspaper accounts of the time, McConnell tells the stories behind three races: the 1905 contest between two curved-dash Oldsmobiles, from New York City to Portland, Oregon; the wintertime crossing of America during the 1908 New York-Paris contest; and the 1909 New York-Seattle race. He outlines the routes, the events of the races, and the public response at the time. McConnell is an independent writer focusing on automotive history. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

About this title

Synopsis

In the first decade of the twentieth century, America saw the running of three grandiose automobile races -transcontinental races, held in 1905, 1908, and 1909. During these contests, men had abundant contact with the elements: ice and snow, rain, hail, wind, heat, mud and dust. Races lasted not hours but weeks, pitted mere man against untamed nature, produced national heroes, and galvanized the country like no modern race around an asphalt oval ever could. In the process, these races sold America on the utility of the automobile, demonstrated beyond a doubt the need for good roads, and sparked a demand for everything from better autos to better road signs and maps. 'Coast To Coast Auto Races of the Early 1900s' provides the complete, fascinating stories behind three landmark contests: The 1905 contest between two curved-dash Oldsmobiles from New York City to Portland, Oregon The wintertime crossing of America during the 1908 New York - Paris contest The 1909 New York - Seattle race.

Largely ignored until now by historians, these races, occurring while the automobile was still quite young (and in the minds of many, unproven), captivated a nation and established the dominant transportation form of the twentieth century and beyond. Automotive historian and journalist Curt McConnell has carried out an exhaustive search of daily and weekly newspapers along the routes, and this book not only describes exactly what happened, but also reports on how the public reacted to these races. From the Introduction...'Splashed across the pages of hundreds of newspapers, the daily accounts of these coast-to-coast races read like adventure serials. And why not? The racers faced conditions unknown to the average American newspaper reader. The men and their cars routinely stuck in the mud, fell through bridges, careened down mountainsides, smashed through tangles of sagebrush, and stalled in the midst of rushing rivers.'

Edition details

• Publisher: Society of Automotive Engineers,U.S.
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 076800604X
• ISBN 13: 9780768006049
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 265