On This Day

Wednesday 8th April 1908

112 years ago

A White steam racer driven by Walter C White won the Fort George Hill Climb in New York City, defeating over 80 other cars. He completed the climb in 32 1/5 seconds, averaging of 40.2 miles an hour. Attendance totals for the 1908 contest ranged anywhere from fifteen to thirty thousand. “The hill presented an animated appearance,” wrote an industry reporter. “All the competing cars were parked in the streets at its base, together with several hundred pleasure vehicles, while that many more afforded grandstands at the summit. The hill on both sides of the street was lined with spectators three or four deep…Near the top of the hill, in sight of the finish line, was a natural amphitheater which held several thousand people, and which resembled the bleachers at a league ball game in mid-summer.The 1908 climb was the largest event of its type ever to be held. In addition to the racecars and industry demos, thousands of car owners showed up with their own vehicles. According to one estimate at least 1,200 automobiles were parked in the vicinity of Fort George. With a selling value of more than $5,000,000 this would have been the largest assemblage of vehicles to date.