Description
In the early dawn of the auto age, competing in organized (and occasionally unorganized) racing was the best means of promotion. Created in just three weeks, the revolutionary Buick Bug race car was designated as a Model 60. Packing a 622 cubic-inch engine, the 2,600-pound Bug featured an aerodynamically shaped aluminum body, with streamlining even influencing the aluminum discs that cover the spoke wheels. Built as a single-seater, the Bug was the first race car to locate the driver in the center of the body both laterally and longitudinally. The principal drivers of the dominant factory Buick racing team was Louis Chevrolet and ‘Wild Bob’ Burman; and on March 30, 1911, near Jacksonville, FL, Burman drove the Bug to a speed record for a race of more than 10 miles. Later, the NY Times reported that Burman and the Bug won the ’20-mile Open Free-For-All’ event at the ‘Atlantic-Pablo Beach Automobile Race Meeting’ at an average speed of 91.06 mph.
