"We rarely see these pacesetting vehicles at most car events," observes Hal Schuette, Concours Executive Director. "So it's fitting that we establish a new car class to accommodate and recognize these historic automobiles."

The earliest gasoline-powered cars had one or sometimes two cylinders, but by 1906 many were beginning to feature four cylinders, and by 1915, a few six- and even eight-cylinder cars were being built. Prior to 1912, all were started by a hand crank, and, especially on larger engines, many arms and wrists were broken in the process.

Pioneering European inventors were the first to experiment with horseless carriages. Following German engineer, Karl Benz's, development of the world's first practical automobile in 1886, the first real car manufacturers in the world were French. Both Panhard & Levassor and Peugeot introduced theirs before the end of the century.

America's first gasoline powered commercial car manufacturers were brothers Charles and Frank Duryea who founded their Duryea Motor Wagon Company in Springfield, Mass. in 1896.

The first mass-produced automobile in the U.S. was the 1901 Curved Dash Oldsmobile, built by Ransome E. Olds, who also invented the basic assembly line. In 1903 approximately 4000 of these $650 cars were built. A reliable performer, a Curved Dash Olds was driven coast to coast in just 73 days that year ­ despite the primitive roads.

By 1904, there were hundreds of budding manufacturers building horseless carriages, including Buick, Cadillac, Ford, Packard, but countless other brands failed to survive more than a few years.

Sponsored by the Palo Alto Lions Club, the Palo Alto Concours will be held Sunday, June 27 on the intramural fields of Stanford University, Sand Hill Rd. at Pasteur from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Almost 500 vehicles and a variety of special automotive exhibits will be featured. Proceeds help support some 46 peninsula charities.

Photo Courtesy of © 2010 Ron Kimball