The 2017
New York International Automobile Show organizers are celebrating New York
State's automobile heritage with a special exhibition curated by the Saratoga
Automobile Museum.
Pierce-Arrow |
While most of New
York State’s 100 early automakers were small, there were great successes like
Pierce Arrow and Franklin.
Franklin |
During the early
years of automobile production in the 1890s, Detroit was not yet the nation's
"Motor City."
New Yorkers of the early 1900s owned more than 60,000 cars, which was 50% more cars than the residents of any other state in the nation.
New Yorkers of the early 1900s owned more than 60,000 cars, which was 50% more cars than the residents of any other state in the nation.
With that kind of
demand for automobiles, it is not surprising that New York State had over 100
different manufacturers.
New York State
automakers of the 1910s and 1920s built tens of thousands of cars.
During the
1920s and 1930s, some of the first motor parkways, the precursors to today's
highways were also built in New York
By the 1940s, more
than three million cars were vying for their share of the roads and highways in
the Empire State, and the economic implications of the automobile industry
helped preserve New York as the economic center of the nation.
Some early New
York-made cars became famous for quality, reliability and endurance. Buffalo
produced the Thomas Flyer, which in 1908 attracted worldwide attention by
winning the New York to Paris race, and in 1911 by placing second at the
Indianapolis 500.
Hardly known as a
hotbed of the auto industry, Long Island nevertheless attracted some very
interesting specialty auto builders. Coachbuilder Brewster built its own
automobiles from available components during the years 1915 through 1925 in
Long Island City in Queens.
From manufacturing,
custom coach-building and importing, New Yorkers had a surprisingly large role
in making the automobile what it is today in the USA.
Racing in
New York State
Six cars competed in
New York State's first auto race.
The race covered the distance from New York
City to Irvington-on-Hudson and back, averaging 10 miles per hour.
The year was
1896, and few New Yorkers had ever even laid eyes on an automobile
before.
From these modest
beginnings, racing blossomed into a major 20th-century sport in New York and
the surrounding area. By mid-century, road race courses and speedways
across New York State - many of them located at county, state and local
fair-grounds- featured automobile racing events.
Auto racing drew
hundreds of thousands of spectators, and showcased the skills of daring
professionals and amateurs alike. New York's racing fans applauded the courage
of the drivers, and were in awe over the raw power and speed of their cars.
Contemporary
attitudes being what they are, imagine trying to establish regular auto racing
in New York today! Fat chance!
NOTE: I have reproduced a press release for the 2017 New York International Auto Show, as there is no way I could have produced such a graphic picture of New York State's participation in the early days of automobile production and competition.
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