Winton Bullet II and Ford 999 -- January 21, 2011

Barney Oldfield moved from bicycle to auto racing on the Ford-Cooper 999 in 1902. Here, in a photo from the 24-March-1904 Motor Age, Oldfield poses on the Winton Bullet II while Ed Hausman poses on 999, which had been rebuilt after an accident. Oldfield and Hausman were touring the south, racing against each other. Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version.

INITIATING THE SOUTHERNER

The Winton Bullet II, driven by Barney Oldfield, and old 999, formerly known as the Ford-Cooper racer, and now driven by Ed Hausman, are now being used in exhibition and match races in southern cities, and Saturday and Sunday, March 26 and 27, Oldfield and Hausman are scheduled to race in New Orleans. Each combination is under separate management, the report that both were being managed by Colonel Billy Thompson, having been a canard. Oldfield is under the racing management of his erstwhile racing partner, Tom Cooper, while Hausman is being managed by W. H. Pickens, who says he has purchased outright from Tom Cooper the 999 car.

Interest in these matches is enhanced by the fact that the car against which Barney rides now is the one on which he first rode into motor racing prominence, before he was engaged to drive the now famous Bullet, holder of the track records and a likely candidate for mile straightaway honors.

After the southern engagement Oldfield proposes to go to Ormond beach, Florida, for a try at this and other straightaway marks. Both he and Hausman expect to be on hand in the east when the regular track season opens with the Decoration day meeting at New York. Oldfield's program for the season, as now arranged, concludes with another trip to the Pacific coast in the fall, this western trip including appearances at Omaha, Denver, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles.