Monday 12th July 1909

The sixth Glidden Tour began in Detroit, Michigan with a planned route to Kansas City, Missouri, US. A Studebaker-EMF went out 2 hours early to mark the route by dropping confetti on its way. A Pierce-Arrow won, continuing a multi-event win streak in this AAA-sanctioned event. Not truly a race, the event had a designated “pace” to arrive at the right time with penalties for repairs along the way. The first tour proved itself to be a success and, thanks to a little help from Boston millionaire Charles Glidden, subsequent tours began to achieve national attention. An early advocate of car travel, Glidden had always passionately supported automobiles. His exploits to showcase their capabilities were renowned for being epic and included the first ever round-the-world trip in 1901.