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The rearview mirror that won the Indianapolis 500

History has witnessed whims of fate such as the one experienced in person by the American pilot Ray Harroun. A regular racer in circuit competitions, he was the brand new winner of the first Indianapolis 500 miles and also the first to use a rear view mirror installed in a vehicle. But perhaps, as a paradox of his own destiny, he did not win any more races in his sporting life. Or is it that he really won the rearview mirror of him?

In 1910, a young 32-year-old pilot, Ray Harroun, accepted a challenge from car manufacturer Howard C. Marmon to jointly design a vehicle. This would be driven a year later in a new race that was to be held in the North American town of Indianapolis, Indiana. would be the first Indianapolis 500 and, thanks to our protagonist, the first rear view mirror.

Until that year, cars intended for racing were manufactured with two seats, one for the driver and another, next to him, for the mechanic. The latter supervised the evolution of the car on the fly, while he looked to one side and the other, warning the pilot of the position of the other cars that surrounded them. but the new Marmon wasp Number 32 had a much more aerodynamic and narrow line than its two predecessors, so only one seat could be mounted.

Due to this imposition of design, Harroun devised and built a support to place a mirror through which to see the cars that would circulate behind him. And thanks to this peculiar accessory, the Marmon is considered the first car in history in which a rear-view mirror was mounted, in a stable manner.

THE FIRST 500 MILES OF INDIANAPOLIS

Let's travel back to 1911. At 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 30, Ray Harroun started from 28th position out of a total of 40 participants. As an anecdote, he to this day holds the record together with Louis Meyer (1936) in winning the 500 Mile Classic from the furthest starting position. However, by lap 8, Harroun already had his yellow Marmon Wasp in 17th position. He knew his car perfectly, and knew from the start of the race that only by conserving his tyres, engine and fuel would he stay in good condition. head positions.

The more than frequent tire change of the favourite, Ralph Mulford, the problems of the other drivers who were in the lead and Harroun's own perseverance worked the miracle. After 6 hours, 42 minutes and 8 seconds and an average of 74,59 miles per hour to complete 200 laps, equivalent to 500 miles, the Marmon-Harron-rearview mirror trio received the first finish line as brand new winners of the legendary race. And 5,8 miles ahead of Mulford…

ONE PATENT, MULTIPLE INVENTORS

The installation of a mirror in the vehicle to replace the mechanic was not without controversy, although it was finally allowed... In any case, if we honor history, the first known mention of the use of the mirror appears in the book written in 1906 by the author Dorothy Levitt, Titulado The woman and the car.

In Levitt's text it is said that women could bring a small mirror somewhere so that, holding it in their hand, they could look back while driving. But even though Ray harroun used it years later mounted on the body of his Marmon, he himself proclaimed himself the first beneficiary of the "invention" by stating that he had tested it on a horse-drawn carriage in 1904. He would not use it again until 1911 because, as he stated years later, the constant vibration caused by passing the wheels over the cobblestones of the streets. obvious logic.

The authorships never come alone, and in reality it has always been considered Elmer Berger as the inventor of the mirror. He patented it in 1921 and developed it in his company Berger and Company with the purpose of mounting it in the production of automobiles manufactured at that time.

MUSEUM PIECE

Be that as it may, the reliable proof that the rear-view mirror was used in 1911 is the Marmon that Harroun piloted, which is exposed in perfect condition of use in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum. The most likely reason that it has survived to this day may be that the car was removed from the circuits together with its driver as, after that first victory, Harroun never competed again.

The broker announced his withdrawal the same day he received the $14.000 prize Awarded for winning Indianapolis. However, he did not abandon the automobile industry: he was employed by Marmon for several years as an engineer, eventually developing the carburettor for the 48 Marmon 1913. From then until his death in 1968, was always linked to the car. He remained active either manufacturing vehicles through his own Marmon-Haxwell brand or distributing accessories for third parties.

rear view mirror indy 500
Marmon Wasp 32 on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum (Photo: IMS)

Harroun will always be remembered for his first and last treble– First victor of Indianapolis, first user of a car-mounted rearview mirror, and first winner of his last race. His short but intense sporting career has left his name written in the history of motorsports as a pioneer but also as a promoter of an object on which our safety depends every time we get behind the wheel. As long as we make use of it, of course...

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Written by Albert Ferreras

Alberto Ferreras (Madrid, 1968) developed his professional career in the newspaper El País since 1988, where he worked as a graphic editor and editor of the supplement Motor until January 2011. Graduated in Photography, he was a finalist for the Ortega y Gasset Award of ... Read more

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