Six Cars Raced From New York to Paris in 1908. It Took 169 Days.
[!NOTE] Historical File: Six Cars Raced From New York to Paris in 1908. It Took 169 Days. Location: USA | Era: Archival History | Format: Documentary & Narrative Record
The Untold Story
Six cars lined up in Times Square to race to Paris. It was February 12, 1908.
The route passed through areas with very few paved roads. The cars had to travel through winter snow and snow banks.
The American team drove a Thomas Flyer across the continent. They arrived first on the Pacific coast.
The race went to Vladivostok by ship to begin crossing the continents of Asia and Europe.
George Schuster drove the Thomas Flyer into Paris on July 30 to win the race. The Thomas Flyer won after 169 days.
Only three of the six cars completed the course. Follow along for more forgotten history.
Verified Archival Sources & Bibliography
Every claim in this account has been fact-checked against primary archives and scholarly repositories:
- Wikipedia: 1908 New York to Paris Race (reference)
- Montgomery County Department of History & Archives: Great Auto Race (primary)
- University of Houston: The Engines of Our Ingenuity No. 1271: The Longest Race (book)
- Penn State University: Automotive trailblazer’s great-grandson to retrace ‘Great Race’ (primary)
- Alfred State College: Alum retracing great-grandfather’s historic journey (primary)
- Smithsonian Magazine: Paris or Bust: The Great New York-to-Paris Auto Race of 1908 (news)
- The Washington Times (February 13, 1908): New York to Paris Automobile Race (primary)
- The Washington Times (August 9, 1908): The Thomas Car and George Schuster (primary)
- Tonopah Daily Bonanza (March 21, 1908): George Schuster and the Thomas Car (primary)
- The Henry Ford: Thomas Flyer in Germany, New York to Paris Race, 1908 (primary)