Another Early Woman Car Racer

November 15, 2017 4:31 PM

Joan Cuneo raced in the very early 1900s and once set a speed record at 111mph. Second part of this blog post Part Two
posted by MovableBookLady (4 comments total)

Her and The Bugatti Queen are my favorite two early 20th century racers. Not only did they win, they won with panache, a deep understanding of the machine, and ferocious determination.
posted by Slap*Happy at 5:28 PM on November 15, 2017

I will also note that de Palma's Fiat Cyclone race car is recorded in loving detail, every stat and nuance of its build noted and admired far and wide across the internet.

Cueno's Knox Giant? Got nothing. The Knox Porcupine one-lunger utility motor Knox Motors put on its delivery trucks, sure. The Giant? The American rival to the Cyclone that came within a second of its speed record? Nothing worth noting, apparently, apart from that a woman drove it to within a single second of the world record. With a thrill-seeking businessman in the passenger seat every time she raced it, one of whom she was married to.
posted by Slap*Happy at 8:06 PM on November 15, 2017

So what's wrong with "car racer"? I raced cars. You would prefer "automobile speedster" perhaps?
posted by MovableBookLady at 10:21 AM on November 16, 2017

According to this photo, it looks like The Knox Giant was one of the massive straight fours popular at the time.

You'd think Jay Leno, from Massachusetts, would take a keen interest in a record-breaking race car and a near-record-breaking race car from his own state in the town of Lenox, in the early years of automotive racing... sadly, he has not.
posted by Slap*Happy at 7:31 PM on November 17, 2017