By Chrissy Suttles
Wyoming Tribune Eagle
Via Wyoming News Exchange
CHEYENNE — Automobile and history enthusiasts poured into the Cheyenne Depot Plaza to talk shop during a celebration of The Great Race, the longest road race in history, Thursday.
In 1908, four international teams set out to publicize mechanical breakthroughs in the automobile industry during a time when horses were still considered the most reliable form of transportation.
The Great Race included teams from Italy, Germany and the United States that drove from New York to Paris, with a 150-mile ship passage from Alaska to Siberia.
Only three of six contestants completed the course, including the American team, piloted by racing driver Montague Roberts and mechanic George Schuster in a 1907 Model 36 Thomas Flyer.
Cheyenne was one of many stops as the group moved westward, and a Union Pacific conductor even rode with the Thomas.
The custom 5,000-pound Flyer was equipped with six fuel tanks holding 176 gallons of gasoline, and shared the build of other world-renowned Thomas Motor Company vehicles, known as some of the most influential cars in American manufacturing.
There are now only three authentic 1907 Thomas Flyers remaining.
A re-enactment of the race, organized by national enthusiasts who call the celebration 2018 New York to Paris, stopped in Cheyenne to give residents a firsthand look at replicas of the Thomas Flyer alongside historical context 110 years later.
Sponsored by Astrid, owner of The Plains Hotel, in conjunction with Alane West of Friends of the Atlas, visitors met drivers, toured restored cars, and enjoyed a free showing of the film ‘The Great Race,” which was loosely based on the actual event, at the Atlas Theater.
“They are riding along the rail from the East to West Coast, and many car club enthusiasts have joined the great racers across the continent at this point,” Astrid said. “A historian from Utah follows them for the whole ride.”
The event also included a lunch with a historically accurate menu at the Plains Hotel. The recipes include much of what was served to the original racers in 1908.
“From oysters to turkey, we are replicating 20 of the 30 original ingredients plus a glass of white wine,” Astrid said.
The group took a tour of local staples such as the Ames Monument, the Big Boy No. 4004 steam engine at Holliday Park and the historic hangars at Cheyenne Regional Airport.
Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead even made an appearance, rolling up to the event in a 1922 Packard.
“We have always been interested in how antique cars operated in the early 20th century,” said Pattie Gunsberg, who traveled from Fort Collins, Colorado, for the event. “I also learned about The Great Race in school, so it was cool to have two interests align like this.”
Other attendees said the event was an opportunity to hear stories with a fresh perspective.
“We learned just a wealth of information about the race’s ties to Cheyenne and drivers’ experiences driving across the country,” said Cheyenne resident Richard Maguire, who attended the event with his family. “It was all very impressive.”