Vintage Photos -- the early 1900's Click on "View" button under the pictures for an enlarged view! |
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Webmaster's note: Eddie Rickenbacker achieved his greatest fame as the 'Ace of Aces' during World War I, shooting down twenty-six German planes in seven months. He was an outstanding racer before that. As a salesman for the Columbus Buggy Company, he began racing in 1910 to publicize the cars he sold. He won nine of ten races in a two-day meet in Omaha, and suddenly he was an auto racer instead of a salesman.
His last race was in 1917. He then went into the military and became an ace fighter pilot. After the war, he formed the Rickenbacker Motor Company, which went bankrupt in 1927. Rickenbacker then raised the money to buy the Indianapolis Speedway. He turned it into a modern track and managed to keep it operating through the Great Depression. When Eddie Rickenbacker started manufacturing cars in the 1920s, he hired "Cannon Ball" Baker as chief test driver. Baker broke his own winter cross-country record with a 71 1/2-hour trip (driving time only). He also drove a Rickenbacker on a "three flag" journey from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Tijuana, Mexico, in 40 hours and 57 minutes. |
Photos from Jack Becker's Collection
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