Model 35 - Speedway Flyer       Period Images    Home
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1907  model year.

4 cylinder 70hp engine, 118" wheelbase.

Factory and dealer advertising does not refer to this car as the Model 35,
    only as the "Runabout" and the "Speedway Flyer".
It used 34" tires, and the engine was set back in the frame for better handling.
Along with the raked steering column, this put the seat right over the chainbox.
The fenders were a standout feature, curved to the running board in front and half-circular in the rear.
Factory and dealer advertising almost never listed a horsepower rating or bore & stroke for the engine,
    yet other period descriptions regularly refer to it as a 70hp car.
New Speedway Flyers were still being delivered in Jan. 1908,
    and the New York to Paris car, a Speedway Flyer, was new in Feb. 1908.



undated factory brochure


Period reporting indicates that the Speedway Flyer was first available in the beginning of May, 1907.


Horseless Age, May 22, 1907
This is the earliest known dated photo of a Speedway Flyer.



Philadelphia Inquirer, May 26, 1907
Possibly the same car as above.
Harry S. Houpt driving, Philadelphia branch manager A. S. Robinson to his left.



Motor Field, Jun. 1907
H. S. Brinker driving F. J. McCarthy's car in the Colorado Endurance Run on Jun. 1.
Brinker later drove the NY-Paris car on the leg ending in California.



Indianapolis News, Jun. 18, 1907
From June 12 to the 22nd, 1906 Glidden Tour participants George M. Davis and E. C. Richard
    reconnoitered the entire 1400-mile route of the 1907 Glidden, from Cleveland to New York, in a Speedway Flyer.
Here they are, reaching Indianapolis.
Note compreesed air tank on running board, for faster tire changes.



Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jul. 7, 1907
E. C. Richard driving, Harry Houpt passenger, reported to be the same car as the Glidden route runner above.



San Francisco Bulletin, Aug. 9, 1907
Roy Rheims, in Percy Walker's car, entered for the races at Concord.


San Francisco Town Talk, Aug. 31, 1907
Fernando Nelson in his 70, which was tearing up the coast in late 1907.



San Francisco Town Talk, Aug. 31, 1907
Bert Dingley in Nelson's car at the Tanforan race track.



Washington, D.C. Times, Oct. 27, 1907
Wallace Hood, driving local dealer A. Stanley Zell's car.



The Automobile, Jan. 9, 1908
Automobile Blue Book compiler E. R. Mixer and editor Robert Bruce,
    on a scenic one of the 20,000 miles they put on a Speedway Flyer,
    documenting the roads of the Northeast for the 1908 edition.



Motor, Aug. 1908
C. A. Coey demonstrates the Stepney Spare Wheel, a rim with tire that can be bolted alongside a flat.


David Gooding
A private citizen's car, stripped of the easy parts for racing at the beach.
The event has not been established.


The next 4 photos are all of an individualcar.


Detroit Public Library



Detroit Public Library



Detroit Public Library



Detroit Public Library



The Cincinnati Police had the sharpest ride in town.



Edward Vandeveer Schweibert
Left to right:  Walter Vandeveer's parents, Walter Vandeveer, Ada Vandeveer, Midred Vandeveer (Schweibert)



PreWarCar.com



eBay


Brighton Beach 24 hour endurance run

On Aug. 9 and 10. 1907, Montague Roberts won this event, and set a new record,
    by racking up 997 miles in a 24 hour period.
He did the entire 24 hours of driving himself, in a stripped Speedway Flyer.


Detroit Public Library
Here is the car in civilian clothes, taken some time before the event.
A larger view of this picture appeared in the Aug. 8, 1907 issue of The Automobile,
    showing Roberts in the car to the left of this one.



Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal, Sep. 1, 1907
This picture is captioned as being taken at the track at the time of the race.
It shows an improvised cowl which does not appear in photos of the car in action.



Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal, Sep. 1, 1907
Sometime in the morning of the second day - maybe about the 500th time around.  No, we're not bored yet.



Motor World, Aug. 15, 1907
There were breaks for service.  Some cars had to send off and wait hours for parts - the Thomas had no mechanical issues.



Motor Field, Sep. 1907



The Automobile, Aug. 15, 1907
11:10 PM Saturday night - exhausted but victorious.



OldenStock



Motor World, Apr. 16, 1908
The Brighton-winning car was entered in the Briarcliff race of the folliwing April.
By this point it was Montague Roberts's personal property.
Here they are is reconnoitering the Briarcliff course.
It was wrecked in practice, and Roberts drove a different Thomas in the race.


New York to Paris

And finally, one picture of the most famous Speedway Flyer of all.