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Coast to coast in a 1903 Oldsmobile

Just four days ago Joy rainey and his team left Los Angeles, in California, for Daytona Beach, in the State of Florida; a month-long drive from coast to coast of the United States in an Oldsmobile Curved Dash horseless carriage 1903. This Australian and her mechanics will travel a distance of approximately 3.640 kilometers with the aim of raising 20.000 pounds for cancer research, at a maximum speed of 35 km / h.

Joy is an old motorsport legend in the UK - as was her father in Australia with his supercharged F3 Cooper-Norton - where he raced uphill races for years. He has broken numerous national records in this specialty at the controls of his Murrain Sports Racing Cosworth and Pilbeam-Hart, although in recent times he has become more dedicated to long-distance rallies. Examples of this are the London-Sidney Marathon (with a Morris Minor '70) or the South American Race, which runs between Argentina, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador; in addition to the Karma Enduro, a test held in South India also for solidarity purposes (on board a Hindustan Ambassador! made in the Asian country). Always with his inseparable partner Trevor Hulks.

I was thinking of sharing the adventure we bring to these pages with him, but the damn disease took him away a couple of years ago. Joy thought maybe it was better not to go ahead: “Within months of his death, I was contacted by Gary Hoonsbeen of the Curved Dash Oldsmobile Club USA, who suggested that I consider taking the trip alone, as a tribute. I said 'never say never', but I really didn't think I could face it without my soulmate. "

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The Olds on a classic road, probably near Phoenix, Arizona

Now, thanks to his family and friends, he has managed to gather the courage to finish what he started. At first, the itinerary of the trip was intended to emulate the pioneers Whitman and Hammond, who in 1903 and over 74 days traveled the distance between San Francisco and New York aboard a similar Oldsmobile. That must have been a true epic, through dirt paths and agrarian gullies dotted with men and women who went west in search of a better future; but it is unrepeatable, since the road is now a highway.

It became necessary, therefore, to rethink the matter by secondary roads. Joy received an invitation from the city of Oldsmar, founded by Ramson Eli Olds - in turn founder of the Oldlsmobile and REO brands - in 1913. Mr. Olds' idea was to create a large city in Tampa Bay, in the Caribbean coast of Florida, starting from nowhere; but the project went awry and he dumped all of his properties there between 1923 and 1935. Soon, he expected a population of several hundred thousand, down to just a few hundred when he began his withdrawal.

In any case, Oldsmar, due to its situation, is not a place that can act as the goal of a crossing between the American coasts. And that is why the Australian has decided to visit her later, after officially finishing her trip in Daytona Beach, on the other side of Florida. The itinerary, finally, has been as you can see in this Google Map, through all kinds of environments, including deserts and mountains. Can you imagine how it must be to upload a port with a Curved Dash like the one in the photos, first?

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35 km / h, the speed of the pioneers

Let's talk about him. This model runabout The then Olds Motor Works was the first mass-produced North American car and probably the first to be built using an assembly line. Simple, economical and functional, the Curved Dash was an immediate success, making a decisive contribution with its diffusion to the motorization of the United States. Around 5.000 units were made between 1901 and 1904 and, structurally, it is very simple, with a 7 hp single-cylinder gasoline engine, gear transmission and two-speed transmission plus reverse.

From The Escudería We want to wish Joy Rainey luck to be able to finish the challenge that has been proposed for two good causes. And so you can experience, once again, the magic of the car. You can follow her on her blog, riding a Facebook and in Twitter, the platforms on which he will tell us about his latest adventure.

[alert type = 'success'] 20/05 - Joy Rainey successfully completed her trip on May 13th [/ alert]

[su_youtube_advanced https=»yes» url='https://youtube.com/watch?v=Nqyb2h3JEiE' ]
 
 

 
 

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Written by javier romagosa

My name is Javier Romagosa. My father has always been passionate about historic vehicles and I have inherited his hobby, while growing up among classic cars and motorcycles. I have studied journalism and continue to do so as I want to become a university professor and change the world ... Read more

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