The 1908 New York to Paris Auto Race was not only a remarkable sporting event but also a significant milestone in the history of automotive engineering and international competition. It showcased human endurance, the spirit of adventure, and the technological advancements of the early 20th century.

This race remains a legendary event in the annals of automotive history, symbolizing the daring and innovation of an era when automobiles were still in their infancy.

For 169 days, George Schuster of Buffalo, N.Y., and his crew drove the Thomas Flyer 22,000 miles across three continents, slogging through snow, mud and quicksand from New York to Paris to win the Great Automobile Race of 1908.

No car had ever driven across the United States in winter. In many communities in the United States and Asia, the Flyer was the first automobile residents had ever seen.

At the time, Schuster was chief mechanic of the E.R. Thomas Motor Co. in Buffalo. On one day's notice, he was told to be ready for an around-the-world race.

One of many other obstacles was a pigeon. It smashed into one of the Flyer's huge headlights in Germany, breaking the glass.

Today, as it sits in the middle of the museum display, the Thomas Flyer sports a broken left headlight.

In the years after the race, the car had several owners and was garaged for decades. It was purchased in the 1960s by casino founder William Harrah, whose private auto collection became the National Automobile Museum in Reno in 1989.

The Reno exhibition includes a series of large paintings by local artist Bob Cinkel depicting various hardships of the race. Also on display are photos and press clippings of the race, plus artifacts from the time such as clothing, a gramophone and a bicycle.

The Flyer is one of more than 200 automobiles displayed at the museum, many in re-created period street scenes. Historic vehicles, cars that belonged to celebrities and rare models from the 1890s highlight the collection.

On Feb. 12, 1908, a quarter of a million people crowded Times Square to cheer the start of the Great Race. Lined up were six automobiles, representing the best technology yet produced by the world’s superpowers of the day: France, Italy, Germany and the United States. France entered three cars, while the other countries each ran one. All the cars had been modified for the race – Germany’s vehicle was designed and built with huge gas tanks and other innovative adaptations. The American-made car, a Thomas Flyer, was a last-minute entry and had few modifications.

President Teddy Roosevelt, the first president to drive a car, insisted that the United States have an entry. The race, sponsored by the New York Times and the Paris newspaper Le Monde, began on Feb. 12, 1908.

Driving across the country in winter was complicated by snow and the fact that there were virtually no roads.

Each night when the Thomas Flyer stopped, Schuster had to drain the radiator and engine block because there was no such thing as antifreeze.

In Nevada, the car broke down, and Schuster had to buy a horse and ride to Tonopah, where he knew of a dentist who had purchased a Thomas Flyer. Schuster talked the dentist into providing vital parts from his car so the racers could continue.

The racers bolted out of New York City, but quickly ran into trouble with snowstorms in upstate New York and across the Midwest. One of the French cars made it only 44 miles before it bogged down and dropped out of the race. France lost another vehicle in Iowa due to mechanical breakdown.

The Flyer was the first to reach Chicago, but the other three competitors arrived within a few days.

The Thomas Flyer crew maintained their lead as they raced across the country. Along the way enthusiastic crowds gathered to cheer and attempt to write their name or initials on the car. The crew spent all day driving as fast as they could and long nights working on repairs. In Wyoming, the best wintertime route turned out to be the Union Pacific Railroad tracks.

In Utah, the Americans followed an old emigrant wagon trail until they were forced onto the railroad ties of Southern Pacific. In Goldfield, Nevada, cowboys and miners fired their six-shooters as the Flyer sped through the Silver State.

When the trailing Germans ran into serious mechanical difficulties near Utah, they loaded their disabled vehicle onto a train bound for Seattle. It was a bad decision that would come back to haunt them in France where the judges would penalize them 15 days for failing to drive across the Western U.S.

The German car rolled into Paris on July 26, four days before the Americans. In an all-out burst of fanatical driving, the U.S. team roared into Paris on July 30, but not before being stopped and ticketed on the way in by a French policeman for a broken headlight violation.

Germany’s victory celebration was short-lived, however, as the 15-day penalty for taking the train in the U.S. from Utah to Seattle, catapulted the Americans into first place.

The Great Race took 169 days of fierce competition and incredible endurance to win and it convinced many skeptics that automobiles were indeed as good as a horse. The original Thomas Flyer is part of the National Automobile Museum’s Harrah Collection in Reno.

The company that built the Flyer had some limited success as a result of the race. But even as the race was in progress, Henry Ford was at work, and the auto industry was changing from custom-made, expensive cars, like the Flyer, to mass-production, lower-priced cars.

So, in 1913, five years after the race, the E.R. Thomas Motor Co. filed bankruptcy.

Although the Thomas Flyer defeated its international race competitors, it couldn't beat the Model T.