A Battle Among Nations: Auto Racing in America, 1909-1916

1911 Indy Start

1911 Indy

Industrial America: The “Carnival of Speed” and the Indianapolis 500

Automobile racing entered a new phase of development in 1909, when the American Automobile Association took on organizational responsibility for the sport. At the same time, entrepreneur Carl Graham Fischer and partner James A. Allison had a 2.5 mile oval constructed 4 miles from downtown Indianapolis using crushed stone as a surface.[endnote] Racing began at Indy in 1909, but the problem of thrown rocks and injured drivers and mechanics resulted in later paving the track  with bricks. In 1911 the first 500 mile race took place on Decoration (later Memorial) day, with driver Ray Harroun winning the inaugural race without a riding mechanic and using a rear view mirror.  At a time when critics were calling for an end to racing due to the high death toll.  Even driver Barney Oldfield got into the debate, stating that “I was never famous until I went through the fence at St. Louis and killed two spectators. Promoters fell over one another to sign me up.”  In addition to the major races sanctioned by the AAA, there were hundreds of other events held at state fairs and by “circus” barnstormers. Randall L. Hall characterized the early sport as one linked to manufacturers with the vague promise that the mayhem was somehow connected to technical progress, while in fact in reality it was a commercial spectacle:

"Industrial America spawned automobile racing. In this sport, individuals compete for prizes by operating complex machines at the fastest speed possible. They travel a designated course   and follow strict rules. Fans far removed from participation pay for the privilege of watching (and hearing, smelling and feeling) the spectacle. “Carnival of speed” was the label given to may early races. This characterization is apt, for automobile races are simply particularly modern form of show business, a circus on wheels. And like other niches of entertainment industry, racing’s success lies in organizing and promoting the product." 

By 1913 with the entrance of three French Peugeots in the Indianapolis 500 field, the race became a battle of nations. J.C. Burton’s poem, published in Motor Age, reflected the nationalistic sentiments of the day:

"O! my sons, give heed to the gods of speed

When they call on you today;

There's a race to run form the starting gun

Till the bolts and nuts give way;

And the call to fight is a challenge old

From the men who dare to the men who're bold.

Thus does the Motherland implore her sons

            With nerves of steel

To Conquer Space in grueling race and grind

            Time 'neath the wheel;

Full well she knows to what rare heights

Her daring sons aspire,--

Projectile laws are shot with flaws before

Supreme desire…."

The French reigned supreme at Indianapolis between 1913 and 1916. But with World War one and the coming of the Duesenberg brothers and Harry Miller, the winds of racing supremacy between Europe and America soon shifted. In 1916 Miller rebuilt a Peugeot engine for driver Bob Burman, and in the process began designing and building power plants superior to the pre-war Peugeot twin cam, 4 valve per cylinder engines. Such was the transition that in 1921, driver Jimmy Murphy, piloting a Miller-powered Duesenberg, won the French Grand Prix race, the first American to do so. Thus, at the opening of the Roaring Twenties, Americans not only could make very fast cars more than competitive on the world stage, they could also make inexpensive cars for the masses thanks to Henry Ford.

Call for Papers: 2nd Annual Jean S. Argetsinger Symposium on International Motor Racing History: Deadline August 12, 2016

The 2nd Annual Jean S. Argetsinger Symposium on International Motor Racing History continues the mission of the 

International Motor Racing Research Center and the International Motor Sports History Section of the Society of 

Automotive Historians to provide an opportunity for researchers to present their work on automotive competition history. 

This unique symposium will be held on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016, at the Racing Research Center in Watkins Glen, NY. 

The history of international automotive competition falls within several realms, all of which are welcomed as topics for presentations, including, but not limited to: sports history, cultural studies, public history, the history of technology, sports geography and gender studies, as well as archival studies. We encourage submissions from faculty members, graduate students and independent researchers wishing to present his/her research on a topic related to automotive competition history. 

In addition to the presentations given by researchers, a keynote address by a significant person in motorsports is planned. Several activities related to the symposium will be offered to participants on Friday, Nov. 11. 

Submit a 250-300 word abstract of the presentation/paper not later than Friday, Aug. 12, 2016, to Glenda Gephart at glenda@racingarchives.org or to H. Donald Capps at cappshd@gmail.com. All presentations will be reviewed and decisions rendered by Monday, Aug. 22, 2016. The abstract may be sent in the following formats, as appropriate: Word, PDF or PowerPoint. 

World War I and the American Automobile Industry

By June 1916 the number of vehicles making the endless round trip between Verdun and Bar-le-Duc to the south would rise to 12,000,

Major Henry H. "Hap" Arnold with the first Liberty V12 engine completed

World War I:  The War Without End

While strict American involvement in World War I was relatively brief (March 1917 to November of 1918), the event’s long term consequences to the development American automobile industry beyond 1918 was significant. The War brought to completion the establishment of industry standards, a problem recognized as early as 1911.  For example, by 1918 some 200 different tire sizes were reduced to only 32 used by manufacturers.  Standardization was led by Hudson’s Howard Coffin and the Society of Automotive Engineers(SAE). Initially a fringe group, by the end of the war the SAE took a leadership role in the creation and dissemination of automotive technology, a place it holds to this day.   Automotive technology would be critically linked to the development of aviation engine technology during the war; most significantly Packard’s Jesse Vincent played the key role in the design of the Liberty V-8 and V-12 engines.

A further development of note was that of the burgeoning growth of truck manufacturing.  Charles Nash, formerly of General Motors and the head his namesake firm in 1917, became the leading manufacturer in assembling trucks.  Trucks were increasingly seen as being pivotal to the war effort, and particularly important to the French success in holding the Germans at bay during the battle of Verdun in 1916. It was said that without motor trucks Verdun would have fallen to the Germans in this struggle of attrition. Pierce-Arrow trucks were among those supplying the front lines during this battle that was described as a “crucible.” American luxury automobile makers, with long wheelbase vehicles, converted their products to trucks, and output doubled between 1917 and 1918.

In sum, despite a record year of production in 1917, American automobile manufacturers also found capacity to make tractors, airplane engines, tanks, marine gas engines, armored cars, motorcycles, bicycles, ammunition, antiaircraft guns, helmets, caissons, submarine chasers, ambulances, and field kitchens. And while 1918 resulted in reduced car production, a real or imagined gasoline shortage, and a voluntary Sunday driving abstinence day, the auto mobile industry bounced back with a peacetime reconversion in 1919 during which 820,400 motor vehicles were made. The entire episode foreshadowed WWII productivity, when Detroit automobile manufacturers could rightly be labeled as the “Arsenal of Democracy.”

Vehicles at the Wasteland Event

Do to each his/her own. This event takes place in the Mohave Desert. Mad Max folks can do what they want for three days. The rides are trick! This year it will take place September 22-25.  See you there!

Another example of moral decline in America?  Or are we just bored?

Porsche 924, 928, 944, 968 -- The Transaxle Porsches

In 1976, Porsche introduced the transaxle powertrain configuration in the type 924 and embarked into new territory. The engine is mounted in front, but the transmission is at the rear axle. Between 1976 and 1995, Porsche built a generation of sports cars that deviated far from the established principles of the 911 – in the types 924, 928, 944 and 968. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of these models, the Porsche Museum is showing 23 exceptional examples of these cars in the framework of the special exhibition "The Transaxle Era. From the 924 to the 928." Over half of these cars are being exhibited at the museum for the first time ever.

A perfect combination of sportiness and everyday practicality

The transaxle models were a great economic success for the sports car manufacturer in this era. Porsche was able to sell cars built with the new drivetrain configuration to nearly 400,000 customers worldwide. Underlying this success is a philosophy that is typical of Porsche: a perfect combination of sportiness and everyday practicality.

In addition to exhibiting a selection of production and race cars, the Porsche Museum also shows select prototypes and concept cars that have so far never left the museum's exhibit hall. For instance, a number of different derivatives of the Porsche 924 that initially served as an entry-level model are on display. The 924 Turbo Targa prototype of 1979 is being shown for the first time. Although this model never went into production, its design flowed into the development of the 944 cabriolet.

928 S4 cabriolet concept car is being shown

The Porsche 928, which celebrated its premiere at the Geneva International Motor Show in March 1977, was initially intended to replace the 911. As a Gran Turismo and luxury sports car, it forged entirely new paths with much better ride comfort and a large boot. Just one year later, in 1978, the 928 became the only sports car to date to be named "Car of the Year". As part of a potential extension of the 928 model line, work began on a cabriolet version of the Gran Turismo in the spring of 1987. This resulted in the 928 S4 cabriolet concept car, which – despite its harmonious design – would never be produced. This one-of-a-kind prototype is also being shown in the special exhibit along with five other 928 models.

The 928 S4 cabriolet concept car

The type 944 followed in September 1981. It was positioned as a link between the 924 and the 911 with its 163-hp four-cylinder engine. Right from the start, the 944 was accepted as a "genuine" Porsche, not least because of its Porsche engine that was derived from the 928. No previous Porsche model had sold so well or quickly as the 944. By the time its production ended in 1991, a total of 163,302 units of the 944 model line sports car had been produced. The special exhibition includes such items as the cabriolet concept car from the year 1985, which is being shown in public for the first time. This model, painted in flamingo pink, is distinguished by a 183-hp four-valve per cylinder engine with a catalytic converter, airbag and ABS. The first concept of a 944 cabriolet was presented in 1985 at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt am Main.

Porsche 968 marks the end of the transaxle era

Other 944 models of the special exhibition include the "Luna" project, which was essentially an endurance test conducted by the Austrian endurance specialist Gerhard Plattner in 1987. He travelled from North America across Europe to Asia in a period of 258 days, covering 384,405 kilometres – equivalent to the distance from the Earth to the moon.

The Porsche 968 – a product of 15 years of technical evolution – marks the end of the transaxle era. Its centrepiece is a 240-hp three-litre engine that is one of the world's most torque-strong four-cylinder naturally-aspirated engines. Visitors will also enjoy to seeing a roadster concept of the Porsche 968 that was created in 1992 under the leadership of the former head of design, Harm Laagay. The main traits of this prototype are the soft and muscular form of its wings, a dynamic cockpit section and an emotionally-charged interior. At the end of 1992, the 968 roadster project was retired in favour of the Boxster concept car that was presented in early 1993.

Automobile Racing History in the U.S.: Essential Reading in the Period Pre-1920

Hi folks -- this is the first of a series of posts on suggested reading on automobile racing history in the U.S.  Your suggestions for additional sources is always appreciated.

1. Russ Catlin, The History of AAA National Championship Racing, 1909-1917. Published as a series of installments in Speed Age magazine from December 1954 to August 1955. Russ put considerable effort and work into this first attempt to record the AAA's glorious past. While problematic, you should take a look at it. Of the nine seasons covered, only 1916 had an AAA National Championship.  the 1909-1915 and 1917 "National Championships" and their corresponding point distribution distribution charts were in fact later retains of AAA official Arthur H. Means during 1926-1928. Catlin did not know that when he did his work, and created a lengthy and detailed but totally anachronistic narrative.

2. Peter Helck, The Checkered Flag (1962). Coverage from 1894 to 1916. Mostly deals with Gordon Bennett series, the Vanderbilt Cup and American Grand Prize races. Carefully written with few errors. The first printing is an art book (Scribners).

3.  Griffith Borgeson, The Golden Age of the American Racing Car (1966). This was the book I started reading first when I got interested in the racing history topic. With a focus on the 1920s, the author can get plenty technical in terms of engine development. Important book without a doubt.

4. William F. Nolan, Barney Oldfield, the Life and Times of America's Legendary Speed King (2002, 2nd edition).

5. Gary D. Doyle, Ralph De Palma. Gentleman Champion (2005). Fine biography, excellent bibliography.

6. John M. Burns, Thunder at Sunrise. A History of the Vanderbilt Cup, The Grand Prize, and the Indianapolis 500, 1904-1916 (2006). No real technical information on the cars, but good, basic background study.

7. Jack C. Fox, THE INDIANAPOLIS 500 (1966, AND LATER EDITIONS).  One of the best books on the history of Indy 500.