Escaping Death's Grasp

Illustrating an episode in the Paris-to-Madrid Race of 1903, this scene captures a De Dietrich flipping near the village of Bonneval. Driven by Cyril Terence “Tom” Delaney with Grant as the mechanic, the car ran too close to the side of the road as it approached a corner, struck loose gravel, and broke its left front wheel and axle as it flipped. Delaney and Grant were thought dead, since the car landed on them, but both men crawled from under the car to the astonishment of the spectators, and then photographed the ruined machine.