Before highways, stoplights, and speed limits, early motorists had one thing in mind—going faster than the next guy. As soon as engines were strapped to four wheels, racing was inevitable. It didn’t matter if the tracks were paved or made of dirt; the thrill of speed was too tempting to ignore.
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Long before the polished world of modern motorsports, these drivers pushed their machines to the edge, leaving behind trails of dust and tire marks in history. Captured through grainy, black-and-white photos, these images offer a rare look at some of the earliest moments of automotive racing.
1. Vanderbilt Cup Race, 1906. Starting in 1904, it was America's first major international auto racing event, showcasing speed, innovation, and daring drivers.
2. John Cobb in his Napier-Railton 17th May 1937, Surrey, England. The car once set a lap with an average speed of over 140 mph.
3. Hot Rods in action. These modified cars, built for speed, style, and rebellion, were born from post-war ingenuity.
4. Gordon Bennett Cup. French Eliminating Trials, 1905.
5. Grand Prix de l’Automobile Club de France, 1907.
6. Early Dragster popping a wheelie.
7. Jules Goux, Lion-Peugeot, Boulogne, racing in 1910.
8. Driver William K with Vanderbilt II. He was once cited for "operating a steam boiler without an engineer’s license," because there was not yet a law against speeding.
9. Racing hard on a local dirt track.
10. 1915 Indy 500. Ralph de Palma was in the lead and the eventual winner.
11. Lions Drag Strip (also known as Lions Associated Drag Strip or simply "Lions") was a legendary and highly influential drag racing facility located in Long Beach, California. It operated from 1955 to 1972 and is considered one of the most important drag strips in the history of the sport.
12. Dario Resta at the 1914 French GP. Resta was an Italian-British race car driver who won the 1916 Indianapolis 500 and the 1915 American Grand Prize.
13. Driver C.H. Lund. This Rainier had a 45-hp engine.
