August 1867 – The first motor race

Given its historical significance, the ‘novel race’ was afforded a surprisingly small amount of coverage by our predecessors at The Engineer, though we must allow for the fact that Bernie Ecclestone had not yet appeared on the scene to promote this new-fangled form of entertainment. The race was contested by “two road steam carriages”, one constructed Mr Isaac W Bolton of Ashton-under-Lyne, the other by Messrs Daniel Adamson and Co of Newton Moore.

“Mr Isaac W Bolton of Ashton-under-Lyne having only one four and 1/4 inch cylinder 9 inch stroke, the other, made by Messrs Daniel Adamson and Co of Newton Moore, having two cylinders 6 inch diameter 10 inch stroke.”

Run over a distance of around 8 miles, it took place between Ashton-under-Lyne and the showgrounds at Old Trafford, getting underway at 4.30am, possibly to avoid the attention of the authorities. At the time, red-flag laws in the US and UK required self-powered vehicles to be led by a pedestrian waving a lantern or flag to warn other road users, something not so conducive to racing, even at the relatively sedate pace of these early road vehicles.