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Ford Pilots 999 to World Speed Record |
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 On Jan. 12, 1904, auto pioneer Henry Ford fortified his fledgling car company by setting a world speed record on the ice of Lake St. Clair near Detroit.
As Ford fired up the famed ‘999’ racer to send blue flames belching from its exhaust, small knots of spectators gathered to watch the hometown hero’s record attempt down a three-mile path of cinders.
Accelerating as he sped down the cinders, Ford flashed through the flying mile in 39.4 seconds, or 91.37 miles an hour, timed and sanctioned by AAA.
In addition to the world speed record, he established a reputation for performance and durability that drew investors and customers to the Ford Motor Company.
The 999 was one of a handful of similar cars Ford built with Tom Cooper, a prominent bicycle racer.
Another champion cyclist, Barney Oldfield, raced the 999 to its first victory Oct. 25, 1902, in the Manufacturers Challenge in Grosse Pointe, Mich.
That was a rematch for George Winton, a prominent auto builder and racer who was upset in the 1901 challenge race by newcomer Ford and his “Sweepstakes” racer.
Oldfield and 999 beat Winton easily with a time of five minutes, 28 seconds, which set a record for a five-mile race on a closed course.
In the summer of 1903, Oldfield raced the Ford 999 around the Indiana Fairgrounds one-mile dirt track at 60 mph, the fastest speed ever recorded on a closed circuit
Oldfield joined the Winton team later that summer, so Ford himself was at the 999’s tiller the following January for an attempt to set a new world speed record on Lake St. Clair.
In such record attempts, car and driver approach the timed mile after building speed over a long straightaway.
It’s called a “flying mile,” but Henry Ford gave new meaning to the term.
Accelerating down the cinder path, Ford was doing about 60 when a bulge in the ice sent 999 and its intrepid pilot airborne.
They landed, skidded and continued to accelerate as Ford flashed through the measured mile in 39.4 seconds.
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