Got to see his one
black mamba
Registered Users Posts: 8,323 Major grins
When I post car shots, it's most often just one image per car....sometimes two, seldom three. While I post 1 or 2 images per car, I've likely shot from 5 to 15 additional images of that car that are probably of interest to me only. I'm making an exception in this case. I hope you find it interesting.
This is quite a vintage race car. It's a 1909 Alco Racer. It's been acknowledged as the winner of the 1909 and 1910 Vanderbuilt Cup races. Alco produced only 4 race cars over about a 4 year period. This car here is the only known survivor of those 4 cars. Pay attention to this racer's complete lack of any kind of safety equipment or design features that helped in a crash. In fact, there are appointments to the car that would be extremely dangerous in any wreck. Yet they got in this thing and raced it to its top speed of 121 mph. Talk about cojones.
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Comments
Wow! This can go to 121mph? There are corollas now that can't get there!
Wow, just amazing. I always enjoy the background story you provide. Thanks!
www.mind-driftphoto.com
Taz, I can't imagine the drama of taking this car around a track at those kind of speeds, even if I was the only car out there. The racing, however, was mostly " pack " racing....a lot like NASCAR today. These things would roar around in big groups, slipping and sliding all over the place. Wrecks were common....very often with fatalities. Some historians of the sport consider the period in which this car was racing to be the deadliest period in American racing. Sadly, in my book, safety considerations for the drivers remained in the dark ages until the early 50"s, and they were meager efforts even then.
I'm really glad to hear that, Cristóbal. My wife has, on occasion, wished for a bat with which she could beat some of the verbosity out of me. Can you imagine that? Would it hurt?
I think there's a Wilbur - M L Co - Copper Hand Pump Fire Extinguisher strapped to the floorboards, just ahead of the driver's seat, but it may not be original to the car. They put more care into restraining the spare tires than restraining the human occupants.
You're right; these drivers put the "Loco" in the name, "ALCO - American Locomotive Company"!
Really wonderful to see and wonder at the thrill that beast must have been!
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
Thanks for the visit, Ziggy. In its time, this car was actually called the " Black Beast ". It was one of the very first cars of this type to sport a 6-cylinder engine. It ruled the roost for a couple of years.
These are great, Tom. I especially like the detail shots and like the others, I enjoy the back story. One of the things that occurred to me is that you had to be a certain size to drive this thing without it being massively uncomfortable - I mean, it's not as if the seat is adjustable. My knees are hurting just looking at the position and functionality of those pedals.
I'm with you, Sara. This car looks to be extremely challenging to drive.....frightening even. I've seen a number of movie film clips of races during this time frame. You can see the drivers struggling to maintain control as they are thrown about. In several of these movie clips involving crashes, you see the drivers being ejected and flung all over the place. Deaths were common. Spectators flocked to these races in huge numbers. Soon, the supply of qualified drivers dried up. However, to keep the show going, they were sticking anyone, who had the guts, behind the wheel and sent out on the track.
Wonderful set Tom!
Must have been a fantastic show.
Thanks for sharing these.
El Gato
www.globaltrekk-photos.com
Thanks, Al. It's good to have you back onboard again.