1903 Winton Bullet No. 2

Bullet No. 2 continued Alexander Winton's passion for racing and secured him a reputation as one of America's leading race car manufacturers of the early 1900s. In 1903, Alexander entered two cars in Europe's Gordon Bennet Race. His cars were the 'Bullet No 2' and 'Bullet No 3.' Alexander's first appearance in this race was in 1900 when he suffered a broken wheel which sent his car crashing into a ditch. The 1903 appearance also resulted in disappointment. The Bullet No 2 entered the race forty minutes late due to ignition trouble. After 190 miles it left the race due to a clogged carburetor. Bullet No. 3 managed to complete 260 miles of the 363.4-mile race, but suffered a broken connecting rod and left the race early.

Both of these automobiles continued the tradition of the original Bullet, Bullet No. 1. These cars were specifically designed and built for racing. Bullet No. 3 was equipped with a powerful four-cylinder engine while Bullet No. 2 had a 'straight eight.' Two four-cylinder engines had been bolted together, resulting in the first 'straight eight' cylinder engine. This had been done after the conventional way of creating more power by enlarging the displacement by increasing the size of the cylinders had proven to be unreliable. The Bullet No. 2 produced 80 horsepower and, at the hands of Barney Oldfield, captured many world records. Alexander Winton had made the decision to hand the duties of driving over to other individuals. He had a prosperous business and much responsibility; automobile racing was dangerous and there were few safety regulations which meant there were often tragic accidents. In 1905, at Glenville, Bullet No 3, driven by Earl Kiser, was involved in an accident that left Kiser without legs. Berna Eli 'Barney' Oldfield was also injured in a crash. Alexander Winton withdrew from automobile competition completely. The public began demanding that all automobile racing be stopped until it could become safer.

During the Bullet No. 2's career, it set a world record for a mile track at 64.52 mph at the Empire City Track located in Yonkers, New York. At Daytona Beach in 1904, it set another record in the mile at 83.7 mph and 43 seconds. At Cleveland's Glenville Track during that same year, it set another track record at 68.18 mph.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2006