Elites Are Having Fun: The Beginnings of Touring Car Races in Hungary (1909–1912)

Abstract

Touring car races of the early 20th century were a mode of spending free time that only a few could enjoy. This was not a problem for the membership of the Hungarian Automobile Club which was led by aristocrats. The Club announced its first domestic touring car race in 1912 with the aim of comparing the reliability of cars and popularizing driving by small cars with a maximum of twenty horsepower. However, during the races the “motorization elite” which basically appropriated or took back the landscape by the act of travelling around the country, was clearly separated from people greeting them along the roads. From the car owners’ point of view, people were more of an obstacle, or perhaps a spectacle than a potential car enthusiast. Even if spectators had discover an attractive form of entertainment in motor racing, it was because during the races they could admire the elites and their lifestyle up close, like looking at a travelling exhibition. Therefore the carloving elite, built of the historical-political, economic, and engineering elite, also had become an attraction itself.

Cover photo: Fortepan / Tarján Emmi