George Schuster
Encyclopedia
George N. Schuster was the driver of the American built Thomas Flyer and winner of the 1908 New York to Paris Race
The “Great Race” was an International competition among teams representing Germany
(Protos), Italy
(Briax-Zust), France
(3 entries: DeDion-Bouton, Moto Bloc, Sizaire-Naudin) and the United States
(Thomas Flyer). Schuster’s victory for the American entry still stands nearly a century later. Schuster was also the first person to drive across the United States during the winter in an automobile.
The 22,000 mile course (13,341 miles driven) started February 12, 1908 in Times Square
with a crowd of 250,000 watching the start of what would become a 169 day ordeal. The Race began in mid-winter at a time when there were no snowplow
s, few roads on the around the world route, unreliable maps, and often little food for the competitors. The original plan was to drive the cars the full distance from New York City to Paris using the frozen Bering Straits to "bridge" the Pacific. This proved impossible, requiring the competitors to cross the Pacific by ship. The Flyer arrived in Paris July 30, 1908 to win although the German Protos had been arriving there four days before. Of the six Teams that started the race, only three finished in Paris; the German Protos, the Italian Briax-Zust, and the American Thomas Flyer.
Schuster's start in the automotive industry was building tubular radiators in October 1902 for the E.R. Thomas Motor Company at the Buffalo, New York
factory. From there he quickly progressed to become the “trouble shooter” for Thomas, in charge of final vehicle assembly and often delivering Thomas autos to their new owners. In the early 1900’s, first time auto owners or their chauffeurs were taught not only how to care for their new machine but often how to drive them by factory or dealer representatives. Schuster was chosen to be part of the Thomas Race Team due to his proven mechanical abilities, which were put to daily use during the Race. Schuster was the only American Team member aboard the Flyer from its start in New York City to the finish in Paris.
Schuster was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame on October 12, 2010.
1908 New York to Paris Race
The 1908 New York to Paris Race was an automobile competition consisting of drivers attempting to travel from New York to Paris. This was a notable challenge given the state of automobile technology and road infrastructure at the time. Only three of six contestants completed the course...
The “Great Race” was an International competition among teams representing Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(Protos), Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(Briax-Zust), France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(3 entries: DeDion-Bouton, Moto Bloc, Sizaire-Naudin) and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(Thomas Flyer). Schuster’s victory for the American entry still stands nearly a century later. Schuster was also the first person to drive across the United States during the winter in an automobile.
The 22,000 mile course (13,341 miles driven) started February 12, 1908 in Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
with a crowd of 250,000 watching the start of what would become a 169 day ordeal. The Race began in mid-winter at a time when there were no snowplow
Snowplow
A snowplow is a device intended for mounting on a vehicle, used for removing snow and ice from outdoor surfaces, typically those serving transportation purposes...
s, few roads on the around the world route, unreliable maps, and often little food for the competitors. The original plan was to drive the cars the full distance from New York City to Paris using the frozen Bering Straits to "bridge" the Pacific. This proved impossible, requiring the competitors to cross the Pacific by ship. The Flyer arrived in Paris July 30, 1908 to win although the German Protos had been arriving there four days before. Of the six Teams that started the race, only three finished in Paris; the German Protos, the Italian Briax-Zust, and the American Thomas Flyer.
Schuster's start in the automotive industry was building tubular radiators in October 1902 for the E.R. Thomas Motor Company at the Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
factory. From there he quickly progressed to become the “trouble shooter” for Thomas, in charge of final vehicle assembly and often delivering Thomas autos to their new owners. In the early 1900’s, first time auto owners or their chauffeurs were taught not only how to care for their new machine but often how to drive them by factory or dealer representatives. Schuster was chosen to be part of the Thomas Race Team due to his proven mechanical abilities, which were put to daily use during the Race. Schuster was the only American Team member aboard the Flyer from its start in New York City to the finish in Paris.
Schuster was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame on October 12, 2010.