Gunnison news-champion., 1921-02-25
NASH SETS UP NEW SPEED
RECORDS IN RECENT RACE

Los Angeles Express
Beginning IN 1908, the Los Angeles
10 Phoenix road race, the desert
classic" as i vas then known. stimuli
atated wonderful interes. in the auto
mobile and became an event of nation
al importance IL was considered the
last word" in strenuous competition
and was = test Of car and driver far
more severe than any other that had
ever before been given
These cars, however, from the yery
first race, were either Out-and-out rae
ing cars or we're stock models especi-
ally fitted up for the event with shock
absorbers etc, with wind shields, top
and tenders removed, and piloted by
men familiar with their task and
trained in road racing.
The first race in 1905 was over the
Mecca Blythe Ehrenberg roue and re-
quired 30 hours and 2s minutes for
the one-way trip to Phoenix. W. c.
Skinner was at the wheel OF White
steamer and there were four other
entries in the race. Barney Oldfeld,
in the last race in 1914 went by way
Of Needles. a much longer route, but
finished with his big Stutz in trifie
over 26 hours.
This week. however, a strictly stock
Nash Six touring car, with wind
shield up negotiated the same route TO
Phoenix by way of Needles in 10
hours, Sc minutes a distance of SIS
miles. Returning by way of the short
er Ehrcnberg- Blythe Mecca route, the
time was cut TO II hours. so minutes,
the distance being 43g miles, but over
a much r0ugher and more difficult
course than the Needles route. The
total distance Of 99I miles was cover
ed in the remarkable fas tine Of 81
hours and 45 minutes.
The Los Angeles TO Phoenix one
way record is held By Ralph Hamlin,
who followed the route thru the I'm
pcrial valley and Yuma instead of up
the Blythe and Ehrcnberg. his time
with the Franklin being Is hours and
i5 minutes. Hamlin also competed in
the four preceding events, finishing
fourth once and second twice.
The remarkable feature of the Nash
round trip however, does not lie alto
gcther in the fast time made but in
the fact that the Nash six was able
TO sustain the constant hammering and
jolting Of the desert roads almost
continuously for two whole days und-
er load of four passengers and a
load OF newspapers each way without
suffering in the slightest from the
strain. Neither motor or chassis re-
quircd the least attention during the
trip-not even tire change-and
when turned into the Troy Motor Sales
Company shop the only work to be
done was washing Off the layer of
mud from the wheels and body.
The Nash was driven by Arthur
Marshall Jas. Redmond and VIM.
Priebe, distributor for the Nash, who
took turns about at the wheel.
Marshall was told of the contemplate
ed trip only the night before, while
the shop men We're instructed in the
morning to get the car in shape for a
trip. but without having any idea of
its length or strenuous character. AL
most half the trip was made after
dark thereby adding to the difficult
ties of driving. The men We're tired
and cold when they drew up in front
of the Chamber Of Commerce building
at the end of their run, but happy in
the knowledge that they had estab-
lished a real record, not only for
speed but stamina and endurance und-
er the most severe conditions ever ex-
perienced in an automobile test.