Henry Ford and Oliver Barthel Driving the Ford Sweepstakes Racer on West Grand Boulevard, Detroit, Michigan, August 1901

01

Artifact Overview

The 1901 "Sweepstakes" race car may have been Henry Ford's brainchild, but he had help bringing it into being. Oliver Barthel, a friend of Ford's and an engineer, was the car's principal designer. Years later Barthel recalled that, just before this photo was taken, "Sweepstakes" had hit 72 miles per hour in a trial run.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic print

Subject Date

August 1901

Creators

Creator Notes

Originally photographed by Alvord & Co.

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

84.1.1660.P.188.9495

Credit

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

Material

Paper (Fiber product)
Linen (Material)

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 7.5 in
Width: 11 in