Henry Ford Driving the Sweepstakes Racer Against Alexander Winton, Grosse Pointe, Michigan, October 10, 1901

THF94819 / Henry Ford Driving the Sweepstakes Racer Against Alexander Winton, Grosse Pointe, Michigan, October 10, 1901
01

Artifact Overview

This photograph shows Henry Ford in his race car, "Sweepstakes," as he begins to pass Alexander Winton during a 10-mile race at Grosse Pointe, Michigan, in 1901. Winton's car was faster, and his experience greater, but he had engine problems and lost to the upstart Ford. With the win and backing of new investors, Ford began his second automobile company.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic print

Subject Date

10 October 1901

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

84.1.1660.P.833.98081.2

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 8.125 in
Width: 10 in

Inscriptions

Inscribed in lower part of image: GROSSE POINT TRACK SEPT. - 1901.
02

Related Content

  • Board Track Racing, Altoona, Pennsylvania
    Set

    Racing

    • 50 Artifacts
    As automobile racing speeds increased, repurposed dirt horse tracks became inadequate. In the 1910s promoters turned to wooden boards, which provided a smooth road surface and were less expensive than bricks or concrete. But rotting wood required frequent replacement. Improvements in concrete and asphalt made board tracks obsolete in the 1930s. The 1.25-mile board track at Altoona, Pennsylvania, operated from 1923-1931.
  • Henry Ford Driving His Quadricycle in Detroit, Michigan, 1896
    Set

    Henry Ford: On the Way to the Model T

    • 20 Artifacts
    This photograph shows Henry Ford, age 33, with his first gasoline-powered vehicle in October of 1896. He built the Quadricycle with help from some friends in a shed behind a house he and his wife, Clara, rented.