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In 1909 the automobile had arrived, but still belonged solely to the world of the pioneer, dilettante, and visionaries. It was not viewed as something needed by everyone. One automobile dilettante was M. Robert Guggenheim, a scion of the Guggenheim mining magnates. That year he sponsored what is likely the most audacious auto race in history, the Ocean to Ocean Automobile Endurance Contest, spanning from New York City to Seattle, Washington.
The Hardest, Longest Race: Henry Ford and the Cross-Country Contest That Changed America, by Eric Moskowitz, relates what happened. It tells the story of the race and the consequences that followed.
The existing road network was primitive. West of the Mississippi River, there were no paved highways – and few roads graded for motor vehicles. Much of that route was wagon tracks, if that. Cross-country driving was required on sections.
When proposed, auto racing was out of favor. The American Automobile Association condemned the race, opposing street racing for safety. Guggenheim persisted, but only four automakers, Ford, Acme, Shawmut, and Italia, entered cars in the race. Another company, Sterns, entered, but its entry arrived after the race started. The smart money was on the Acme and Italia entries. They were traditional cars of the period: sizable, powerful, and heavily constructed.
Only two manufacturers were all-in on the race. The Shawmut was a desperation entry. The factory burned down before the race, and Shawmut investors needed a win to raise capital for rebuilding.
Ford’s two entries differed. They were stripped-down Model-Ts. Ford saw the race as an opportunity to advertise the ruggedness and economy of his cars. The Model-T was affordable for the masses. Winning would underscore the vehicle’s durability. He swung his entire network of dealerships behind the cars to ensure they crossed the finish line first.
What resulted was a tale of endurance, perseverance, and skullduggery. Ford pulled out all the stops to get one of his two cars across the finish line first. The rules required cars to arrive without replacing major components or the crew. Through grit, occasional cheating, and bribing ferry operators to slow competitors’ crossings, Ford managed to cross the finish line first. The winning entry was eventually disqualified, awarding victory to the Shawmut, but the win was forgotten by a public that only recalled the spectacle.
The Hardest, Longest Race is a fascinating and entertaining book. It shows how Ford used it to propel Ford Motor Company to national prominence.
“The Hardest, Longest Race: Henry Ford and the Cross-Country Contest That Changed America,” by Eric Moskowitz, St. Martin's Press, June 2026, 368 pages, $31.00 (Hardcover), $15.99 (E-book), $20.00 (Audiobook)
This review was written by Mark Lardas, who writes at Ricochet as Seawriter. Mark Lardas, an engineer, freelance writer, historian, and model-maker, lives in League City, TX. His website is marklardas.com.
Discussion (5)
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A hard and long race, indeed! It was just 62 years earlier that a young US Army officer, William Tecumseh Sherman, took the easy route from New York to his new assignment in Monterey, California. That journey, by ship around South America, with at least one stop in Rio, took 198 days.
And just 62 (or 72) years later I’m sure the drive could have been done coast to coast and back by a couple of adventurous college roommates during a week long spring break if they had a Mustang and $100 of ROTC cash in each of their their wallets.
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I think I remember reading that McKinley was the first president to ride in a car. Everyone feared for His safety. It maxed at 20 mph.
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Ten years later a Lt Col Eisenhower would be an observer on an Army experiment to transport troops from coast to coast. Those observations, combined with Ike's time in Europe seeing the German highway system, would contribute to President Eisenhower developing the Interstate Highway System.
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The pace of technological development in automobile and aircraft travel from about 1915 to 1935 or so is truly astounding to look at in hindsight.
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I have the plane ticket from when my parents flew from Milwaukee to California for the January 1953 Rose bowl. The thing looks like a train ticket, the flight made so many stops.