Ford
"999" race car

Why it matters

The "999" was the car that turned Henry Ford's racing reputation into financial backing for the company that bore his name. Ford himself was reluctant to drive it, so he hired the bicycle racer Barney Oldfield, who had never driven a car and went on to become America's first nationally famous racing driver. Both men built their careers on its success.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

Henry Ford built the car in 1902 at 81 Park Place, Detroit, assisted by C. H. Wills and E. S. Huff. It followed his 1901 "Sweepstakes" racer, with which he had beaten the established Alexander Winton at Grosse Pointe in October 1901 and attracted new investors.

Oldfield, who had never driven a car, learned quickly and won his first competition in it: a five-mile race against Alexander Winton and two other drivers at Grosse Pointe, Michigan, in 1902. The record lists the car's output as 80 hp at 700 rpm and describes it as having no transmission, only an in-and-out clutch. The original is held at Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn (object 19.3.1).

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The original is the single car recorded as museum object 19.3.1; "999" is painted on the left side of the engine and on the back of the seat. Its recorded dimensions are 145 in long, 55 in wide and 50 in high, with a weight of 2730 lb. A separate replica exists, built by Dearborn Steel Tubing for the 1964-65 New York World's Fair (object 65.111.1, 147 in long, 65 in wide, 48 in high), so a "999" with those proportions is the replica, not the 1902 car.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   1902 Ford "999" Race Car, Built by Henry Ford | The Henry Ford Level B

   • 1 individual car: 1902 Ford "999" race car built by Henry Ford, in The Henry Ford collection (identity confirmed)

   Accessed 2026-11-11
2. 2
   1902 Ford "999" Race Car, Built by Henry Ford (artifact record 19.3.1) Level A The Henry Ford

   • Engine: inline-4 (Specifications)
   • inline-4 ... 1156 cubic inches (Specifications)
   • Diameter: 7 in (Bore) (Dimensions)
   • Length: 7 in (Stroke) (Dimensions)
   • atmospheric intake valves and mechanical exhaust valves (Specifications)
   • Horsepower: 80 at 700 revolutions per minute (Specifications)
   • Transmission: none, in-and-out clutch (Specifications)
   • Material: Wood, White ash, Metal, Rubber, Leather, Bronze, Brass (Artifact Details)
   • Wheelbase: 118 in (Dimensions)
   • Length: 145 in (Dimensions)
   • Width: 55 in (Dimensions)
   • Height: 50 in (Dimensions)
   • Weight: 2730 lb (Dimensions)

   Accessed 2026-11-12