The New York to Paris auto race of 1908 may have been one of the most ambitious races in history - but it was also one of the stupidest. At a time when automobiles couldn't be trusted to travelacross a town, let alone a country, a group of adventure-seekers felt compelled to drive them across the world. Over the course of several months, six international teams raced westward from New York City to Paris, driving over mountains, plains, forests, and swamps in North America, Asia, and Europe. Whoever reached the City of Lightfirst wonbragging rights that their country produced the world's finest vehicle.
The race began in Times Square on February 12, 1908. Six teams represented four countries that put forward their best automobiles: one German team drove a Protos from Berlin; one Italian team drove a Zust from Milan; three separate French teams drove a De Dion-Bouton from Paris, a Motobloc from Bordeaux, and a Sizaire-Naudin from Courbevoie; and an American team drove a Thomas Flyer from Buffalo. Only three teams made it to Paris several months later. Ultimately, the winner was the American Thomas Flyer. It rolled into Paris on July 30, 1908, more than five months after the race began.
From epic mishaps to unfortunate breakdowns, the New York to Paris race proved to be as zany as the film it inspired decades later: Blake Edwards's 1965 comedy classicThe Great Race.
0:00 - Intro
0:00:08 - Competitors And Team Members Carried Arms And Aimed Them At Each Other
0:00:24 - On The Ship To Asia, The Sailing Crew Pilfered Leather From The US Car's Fenders To Make Shoes
0:00:34 - The Americans Brought Along Homing Pigeons - Which Were Accidental Seagull Bait
0:00:49 - In Russia, The US Kept Getting Lost And Losing Time
0:01:04 - Competitors Rightfully Accused Each Other Of Cheating
0:01:13 - Every Night, Mechanics Had To Drain The Radiators To Keep Them From Freezing
0:01:29 - During The Spring Thaw In Siberia, Racers Could Sometimes Only Go 15 Miles A Day Because Of The Mud
0:01:49 - When Police Denied The US Car Entry To Paris Because It Didn't Have A Headlight, They Strapped A Bicycle With A Working Lamp To The Hood
0:02:13 - At One Point The US Mechanic Made Repairs In A Stream Bed Filled With Quicksand
0:02:30 - One Of The French Crew Members Defected To Join The US Team
0:02:45 - Racers Were Supposed To Cross From Alaska To Russia Via The Frozen Bering Strait - But They Never Got Close To It
0:03:06 - Paved Roads Were Almost Nonexistent, And Some Parts Of The Course Had No Roads At All
0:03:24 - Without Road Maps, They Navigated With A Compass, Sextant, And The Stars
0:03:41 - On The First Day, Racers Were Hit With A Terrible Blizzard, And The Cars Frequently Got Stuck In The Snow
0:04:02 - The Race Took Place In The Middle Of Winter In Open Cars
0:04:16 - It Was A 22,000-Mile Trek When Horses Were Considered More Reliable Than Cars
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