1905
By 1905, the James Gordon Bennett Cup was the biggest race in the world. It was also its final running. The French, far and away the leaders of the global automotive industry, did not like the rules of this international race which restricted countries to but three entries. France, with more high quality automobile manufacturers than the rest of the world combined, felt this was an unfair restriction. By 1906, they introduced the Grand Prix and changed history. This folder contains comprehensive information about the last running of this classic race and highlights great European road racers such as winner Leon Thery (Richard-Brasier); Ferenc Szisz (Renault); Fernand Gabriel (De Dietrich) and George Heath (Panhard). American entries included Joe Tracy (Locomobile); Herb Lytle (Pope-Toledo) and Bert Dingley (Pope-Toledo).

Gordon Bennett Course 1905

This six page PDF article was originally published in the July 6, 1905 issue of The Automobile. It is another description of the Auvergne course for the 1905 James Gordon Bennett Cup race near Clermont, France - but this story has a special twist.
Auvergne Circuit 1905

This one page PDF article was originally published in the May 13, 1905 issue of The Automobile. It is one of several written about the layout and terrain of the Auvergne circuit near Clermont, France developed for the 1905 James Gordon Bennett Cup auto race. The prevailing theme across all descriptions is the omnipresent danager throughout the mountainous, serpentine 85.35-mile course.
Gordon Bennett Cup Prep

This article originally appeared in the April 15, 1905 edition of The Automobile. This is less than one PDF page of content and offers some interesting insights to events leading up to the 1905 (and final) James Gordon Bennett Cup auto race. This was published prior to the American manufacturers filing entries, but a list of French, Italian and German cars and drivers is provided.
1905 Gordon Bennett Cup Teams

This article orginally appeared in a June 1905 issue of Motor Age. It is a very nice summary providing the backgrounds of the drivers representing the various teams entered in the the 1905 James Gordon Bennett Cup auto race, held in France. The race, designed by the millionaire James Gordon Bennett Jr., defined teams as entries from manufacturers of a given nation.

James Gordon Bennett History

This article was originally published in Motor Age, probably in May 1905, but unfortunately, I do not have the exact date. This is an excellent (two PDF pages) executive summary of the history of the James Gordon Bennett Cup (1900-1905) leading up to the final edition of that classic motor race June 16, 1905. The article provides the dates and locations of the races as well as the names of the cars and drivers involved.
American Gordon Bennett Experience

This one-page PDF article in an August 1905 issue of Motor Age. This report was compiled through interviews with the members of the American contingent in the 1905 James Gordon Bennett Cup race upon their return to New York from France. Chief interview subjects were driver Bert Dingley of the Pope-Toledo team, as well as Orlando Weber, an executive with the firm. Also providing insights was driver Joe Tracy of Locomobile.
 
Gordon Bennett Trials 1905

This content was originally published in the June 29, 1905 edition of The Automobile. Unfortunately, I did not obtain the entire feature, but the small portion that appears here is quite useful. The main article chronicled the French elimination trials for the James Gordon Bennett Cup, the world's most important auto race that year. The elimination trials were necessary because the rules for the Bennett Cup limited the participation to three entries from each nation.
Locomobile Gordon Bennett Cup

This article was originally published in the April 22, 1905 issue of The Automobile. This is a rather technical piece on the 1905 American Locomobile racer (Bridgeport, Connecticut). This is much like a modern day car review or driving impression - although the writer did not drive the car.
Horseless Age May 24

Few people know it, but the first national championship awarded by a points system occurred in 1905. The AAA sanctioned a national championship for track racing and announced it in May. The prime contenders were Barney Oldfield, Louis Chevrolet and Webb Jay. The schedule included tracks at Empire City (New York), Charter Oak (Hartford, Connecticut), Brunots Island (Pennsylvania), Morris Park (New Jersey), Glenville (Ohio), Kennilworth (Buffalo, NY), Readville (Boston, MA), Providence (Rhode Island) and Poughkeepsie (New York). Oldfield, Jay and Winton Bullet II driver Earl Kiser were injured in spectacular accidents. Kiser and Jay were hurt badly enough that their careers were curtailed. Oldfield recovered to win the championship after Chevrolet inexplicably dropped out. The 1905 racing season provided one of the most interesting years of early American auto racing. Legendary names like Chevrolet and Oldfield played huge roles, the first points awarded championship played out and serious accidents to three of the sport's biggest stars threatened the cancellation of auto racing in general.

Racing Notes, June 1905

This content was originally published in the June 21, 1905 issue of Horseless Age. These are brief items on various happenings in auto racing and the automobile industry in general. Among the most imporant are: