Barney Oldfield

At the age of 16, this American from Wauseon/Ohio began a successful career as a racing cyclist. in 1902, he drove his first competition on four wheels and immediately beat the American champion of the time, Alexander Winton. Henry Ford personally provided him with the vehicle, and both benefited from this extraordinary success.

He developed a special passion for speed records. He also contested numerous races, most of which he finished victoriously. Oldfield was not only a gifted entertainer behind the wheel, he also starred in a Broadway musical in 1906 and years later exploited his fame as a movie star.

In March 1910, he covered the mile with a flying start in Daytona Beach with his "Blitzen-Benz" at an average speed of 211.4 km/h, setting a new world record. A year later, he set a new American record for the standing start mile at the same venue. His racing career was no less successful. In the 1914 Vanderbilt Cup race in Santa Monica, he finished second behind his compatriot Ralph DePalma in Mercedes. Oldfield officially retired from racing in 1918, but climbed behind the wheel many a time afterwards and cultivated his legend.