Winton Bullet No. 2 racing car, 1903

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Built for speed rather than comfort, the Winton Bullet No. 2 was a 1903 racing car from the Winton Motor Carriage Company of Cleveland, the firm founded by Scottish-born engineer Alexander Winton. Its long, low body and exposed mechanical parts show how early racers were stripped down to engine, frame and wheels, with the driver perched in the open. In the first decade of the twentieth century, automobile makers used track and road races to prove their engines and sell their names, and cars like this one drew large crowds at events across the country. The photograph preserves a machine from the years when motor racing was still experimental and often dangerous.

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