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. This was a sore point for France, the home of the world's leading automotive industry in the day. As a result of this rule, the Automobile Club of France (ACF) created the first French Grand Prix in 1906. This article illustrates the power of the French at the time, driven home by a table that lists the 29 entries for the event with a healthy mix of different marques: Richard-Brasier, Clement-Bayard, Renault, C.G.&V., Hotchkiss, Automoto, De Dietrich, Panhard, Gobron-Brillie and Darracq.
 
Another theme of this piece is the treacherous conditions of the Auvergne course. This was a recurrent theme in all articles about the event.