Bonus: 1901 Ford “Sweepstakes” replica

Cameron NeveuWe know—it’s from 1901 (sort of), it doesn’t belong to any race series, and not in a million years would it hit triple digits. (Henry Ford claimed the original, of which this is a recreation, hit 72 mph, and the replica has notched almost 60.) But this painstakingly recreated Ford Speedster does not have fenders, so technically it does qualify as an open-wheel car.

On October 10, 1901, in Grosse Point, Michigan, Henry Ford and the original wood-paneled, 538-cubic-inch monster beat out Alexander Winton in a publicity stunt designed to restore Henry’s reputation after his first auto company folded. The sweepstakes worked, though not until his third effort would Ford’s venture take flight. Fun fact: those 538 cubic inches were distributed among only two cylinders. With a elementary form of mechanical fuel injection (for which Henry won a patent), the engine probably made around 26 hp.

That was Henry Ford’s first and only race. The original Speedster resides in the Henry Ford Museum, but to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the occasion, two replicas were made—at great cost and effort. This is the active-duty of the two replicas, and it has toured all over the world, making a magnificent chugging, clattering noise all the way—even to the Goodwood Festival of Speed.