1901_Ford_Sweepstakes_Race_Car

In 1901 Henry Ford was a virtual unknown at the time and drove in his first and only race behind the wheel of this vehicle he nicknamed Sweepstakes. In a stunning, come-from-behind victory, Ford defeated famous car builder and racer Alexander Winton in a 10-lap race on a one-mile oval track at the Detroit Driving Club in Grosse Pointe, Mich. That race on Oct. 10, 1901, changed the course of history because it helped Ford attract the investors he needed to start the Henry Ford Company ? and then the Ford Motor Company ? in 1903. In the photo you see Henry Ford & Spider Huff racing their Sweepstakes car marked #4 against Alexander Winton at the Grosse Pointe, MI race track in 1901.