This Benton Harbor is a rare survivor from the pioneer period of American automobile development. It was designed and built to compete in the 1895 Chicago Times-Herald Race. With a top speed of 23 miles per hour, the Benton Harbor may have been a viable competitor but production delays kept it out of the race.Restoration research revealed that this may be the first vehicle in America built from scratch as an automobile as opposed to construction on a modified horse-drawn carriage.