The Cars 4 Causes Blog.

In World history there was an event that tested not only our global level of industrial capability, but our own capacity for human endurance. The year was 1908 and the event was The Great Automobile Race. Yes, before there were the Big 3 Automakers, even before there were trans-continental roads, the world’s auto makers and enthusiasts teamed up for a cross-country trek that pitted man and machine against Mother Nature and the elements.

17 men took part in 1908 and the teams consisted of drivers, mechanics, recording secretaries and even members of the world press. This was the first recorded event that had reporters “embedded” in the process to provide first-hand commentary.

France, Germany, Italy and the United States competed on a route that took them from New York to Paris via Russia and Japan. The race spanned 3 continents and 22,000 miles. It took 6 months for the three surviving teams from the U.S., Germany and Italy to finish the course.

The U.S. Team was declared the victor with Germany second. Germany was fined a total of 30 days for not following the planned route to Alaska, and for shipping their entry by rail car in the United States.

The American entry was a 1907 Thomas Model 35 “Flyer” which had a 4-cylinder motor with a 4-speed transmission and whose maximum speed was approximately 60mph. The car was 11′8″ long and weighed about 5,000 pounds.

This Great Race popularized the use of the Auto worldwide. Today we still view cars as a way of enabling commerce, personal freedom, and as symbols of our status in our community and in society.This race has been rerun on the same route since 1908, but the original was the ultimate test of endurance.

Why is the Great Race important today? The race in 1908 was a chance for us to show our American know-how and design ingenuity. We were competing to be relevant in the modern age of 1908. This need to bring our best, most efficient designs, and good ole fashion American inventiveness is even more urgent one hundred years later.

In affiliation with the annual LA Auto Show which rolls out the cars of the next season every year in CA, Design Challenge Motor Sports 2025 will be holding another Great Race, a revival of the Los Angeles Times Grand Prix.

Design Los Angeles has an annual conference that has become an integral part of the L.A. Auto Show. More than 500 designers attended last year’s event. The very best designs are being prototyped to run in 2025.The 2008 designs are full of surprises such as “green” or reused building materials, and the ability to run on biofuels.

Once again, the designers hope for a resurgence of interest in new car designs and to hopefully come upon and have the ability to prove the viability of their concepts to consumers.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the U.S. could come up with an eco-friendly affordable car that would help to solve our dependence on fossil fuels?

That is exactly what these designers are trying to accomplish. Look at the car designs from BMW, GM, Honda, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Toyota and Volkswagen.

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