Ad for Champion Spark Plugs in “The Saturday Evening Post,” June 20, 1953, featuring “Old 16.”
"OLD 16" Rides Again With CHAMPIONS!
The accompanying artwork is by Peter Helck, an internationally known artist, automobile connoisseur, and owner of “Old 16.” The race where “Old 16” made history took place on October 24, 1908. It was held on a course in Long Island, New York, which included sections of the newly completed Long Island Motor Parkway – the first highway in the world designed specifically for automobiles. The Vanderbilt Cup was the first major international auto race held in the United States. At the time, European cars (like Mercedes, Panhard, and Fiat) were considered vastly superior to American machines.
William Kissam Vanderbilt II created the race in 1904 to challenge American manufacturers to improve their engineering. For the first four years, European cars dominated. It wasn’t until “Old 16” crossed the finish line in 1908 that an American car finally won, sparking a massive wave of national pride.
“Old 16” is a Locomobile built in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It was a beast of a machine for its time, featuring a massive four-cylinder engine with nearly 1,200 cubic inches of displacement, producing 120 horsepower – an incredible amount for 1908. The car failed to win in 1906 due to tire issues. Two years later, it was “old” by racing standards, but it was brought back, painted with the number 16 on its radiator, and driven to victory by George Robertson with mechanic Glenn Ethridge.
On the very last lap of the 1908 race, Robertson suffered a tire blowout while leading. He and Ethridge changed the tire in record time and managed to win the race by less than two minutes. Unlike most early race cars that were scrapped or lost, "Old 16" was preserved. Peter Helck (the artist of the ad) bought it in 1941 and kept it in original, "unrestored" racing condition. Today, "Old 16" resides at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, where it is in the same weathered, hard-won condition it was in decades ago.
[Source: Google Gemini]
Ad for Champion Spark Plugs in “The Saturday Evening Post,” June 20, 1953, featuring “Old 16.”
"OLD 16" Rides Again With CHAMPIONS!
The accompanying artwork is by Peter Helck, an internationally known artist, automobile connoisseur, and owner of “Old 16.” The race where “Old 16” made history took place on October 24, 1908. It was held on a course in Long Island, New York, which included sections of the newly completed Long Island Motor Parkway – the first highway in the world designed specifically for automobiles. The Vanderbilt Cup was the first major international auto race held in the United States. At the time, European cars (like Mercedes, Panhard, and Fiat) were considered vastly superior to American machines.
William Kissam Vanderbilt II created the race in 1904 to challenge American manufacturers to improve their engineering. For the first four years, European cars dominated. It wasn’t until “Old 16” crossed the finish line in 1908 that an American car finally won, sparking a massive wave of national pride.
“Old 16” is a Locomobile built in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It was a beast of a machine for its time, featuring a massive four-cylinder engine with nearly 1,200 cubic inches of displacement, producing 120 horsepower – an incredible amount for 1908. The car failed to win in 1906 due to tire issues. Two years later, it was “old” by racing standards, but it was brought back, painted with the number 16 on its radiator, and driven to victory by George Robertson with mechanic Glenn Ethridge.
On the very last lap of the 1908 race, Robertson suffered a tire blowout while leading. He and Ethridge changed the tire in record time and managed to win the race by less than two minutes. Unlike most early race cars that were scrapped or lost, "Old 16" was preserved. Peter Helck (the artist of the ad) bought it in 1941 and kept it in original, "unrestored" racing condition. Today, "Old 16" resides at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, where it is in the same weathered, hard-won condition it was in decades ago.
[Source: Google Gemini]