Wind Wagon Races Wright Brothers Airplane

This image was taken June 16, 1910 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's first aviation meet involving airplanes.
 
The race involved one of the strangest cars ever to compete at the Speedway -  the Overland "Wind Wagon," a special machine built for promotional purposes for the Overland Automobile Company. The Wind Wagon joined 11 airplanes for one of the first aviation shows ever presented in the United States. It was driven by Carl Baumhofer, the chief equipment tester at Overland. Instead of using a drive train to transfer power to the wheels, the car's engine turned a propellor in the same manner as an airplane. The eight-foot wooden propellor was positioned at the back of the machine, which utilized a stock automobile frame. Top speed of 53 mph even surprised Baumhofer who had predicted something in the order of 20 miles per hour slower. The Wind Wagon met a Wright Brothers airplane piloted by Walter Brookins, the star of the aviation meet, in an exhibition race. Although the race was anything but "official," Brookins was declared the winner.