Gar Wood Miss America VIII heads to Mecum Kissimmee
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Inventor Garfield Wood was a world champion speed boat racer in the early 20th century, winning prestigious Gold Cup races five years in a row from 1917-1921. He made his fortune with his Wood Hoist Company, which built hydraulic lifts that dumped railroad coal cars. He later changed the company name to Garwood Industries and began producing other items, including quality wooden speed boats and commercial truck bodies.
Garfield Wood was a bit of a stunt man, too, racing his boats against a train more than 1,250 miles up the East Coast [[he won) and the Twentieth Century Limited train up the Hudson River from New York City to Albany [[he won that one, too). Beginning in 1920, “Gar” Wood began building his own race boats. With his designer, Nap Lisee, Gar Wood built a series of 10 Miss America boats that were the fastest speed boats of their day. With Gar at the helm, the Miss America boats won the Harmsworth trophy eight times in 12 years. Gar’s brother, George, also won a Harmsworth Trophy in 1931, aboard the Miss America VIII, in a year when Gar was disqualified for jumping the start. This made the Miss America VIII a two-time winner of the largest speed boat event of its day, with victories in 1929 and 1931 added to a second place finish to the new Miss America IX in 1930.
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