Speed & Economy Runs: The Cactus Derby and The Red Lion

There was a time when crossing the desert in an automobile was not merely a test of man and machine. It was often talked about as an adventure that bordered on madness.

There were no paved highways, few fuel stops, and during the scorching days of summer, no respite from the heat. Between Southern California and Arizona stretched a desolate landscape of rock, rutted roads, drifting sand, wash crossings, steep mountain grades, and unpredictable weather.

Despite these challenges by the mid-teens the National Old Trails Road, predecessor to Route 66 in the Mojave Desert, was an increasingly popular route for travelers enroute to California. And for people living near Los Angeles, this was the gateway to the wonders of the Grand Canyon, Painted Desert, and Petrified Forest.

And this provided unlimited opportunities for promotion and marketing. Those endeavors were given a boost in 1914

In 1914 this would be the course for the last of the great Desert Classic auto races that had been dubbed the Cactus Derby. By the mid-1930s, the dusty track had been paved and signed as U.S. 66. And miles per gallon, not speed, was the focus of drivers participating in the Gilmore Economy Run   

The last of the legendary Cactus Derby races was an endurance race from Los Angeles to Phoenix that threaded through the Mojave Desert and northwest Arizona. As the list of participating drivers, including Louis Chevrolet, read like a who’s who of the motor sports world, the race placed an international media spotlight on communities along the course.

As if the race wasn’t enough of a spectacle, 68 wealthy Los Angeles businessmen chartered a train they dubbed the Howdy Special to follow along the course of the race. They called themselves “Howdyites” and created colorful red and black “Yama-Yama” costumes.

Because of excessive drinking and rowdiness along the way the “Howdyites” were dubbed the “Howdy Rowdies.” It was so bad that when they arrived in Needles, they were met by the sheriff and prevented from leaving the train.

As racers approached Needles, word spread quickly. According to contemporary accounts, whistles sounded, businesses closed, schools emptied, and residents lined the streets waiting for the arrival of the drivers. Reporters from national newspapers were in the crowd.

Capitalizing on the publicity generated by the race the Arizona Good Roads Association, working with the Automobile Club of Southern California, created illustrated tour books with maps and advertisements. The Old Trails Garage in Needles, Hotel Beale in Kingman, and other businesses paid for full- and half-page advertisements.

Certification of U.S. 66 and marketing campaigns developed by the U.S. Highway 66 Association made Route 66 an ideal venue for corporate promotion. One example was the 1930 Goodyear “Airwheel” tour. Using customized Packard and Buick sedans two massive 12-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide “Airwheel” tires were towed across the country.

These massive rolling billboards stopped at local Goodyear stores along Route 66 and attracted massive crowds. Photos of the tire being pulled through Sitgreaves Pass and Oatman provided ample materials for magazines and newspaper advertisements.  

The Los Angeles-based Gilmore Oil Company that was established by oil magnate Earl B. Gilmore, devised a brilliant marketing campaign to promote the Red Lion brand of gasoline that included Route 66. Launched in 1936 the multi-day, point-to-point contests were designed to demonstrate real-world, stock-car fuel efficiency. These contests would become the basis for the famous post WWII Mobilgas Economy Runs.

The 1941 Gilmore Economy Run was one of the longest in the series. It was also one of the most publicized. Competitors from Los Angeles followed Route 66 through San Bernardino and Barstow, and then U.S. 466 to Las Vegas and across Hoover Dam before rejoining Route 66 at Kingman The South Rim of the Grand Canyon was the finish line.

The remarkable series of economy runs sponsored first by the Gilmore Oil Company and later by Mobilgas used various courses. In the late 1950s the runs were expanded into coast-to-coast events.

But the most popular of the earlier events was Route 66 to Flagstaff, and then to the Grand Canyon. The oil companies and automobile manufacturers used the events to create visually stunning advertising campaigns.

A color film about the 1950 Mobilgas Grand Canyon Run was produced by Caravel Films for the Mobilgas Socony-Vacuum Oil Company. It was shown as a 30-minute short in theaters across the country.

Made available on YouTube through the PeriscopeFilm channel, the film is a cult favorite for Route enthusiasts. There are brief shots of the participating cars cruising through Kingman and Williams.

Heat, grades, wind, sparse settlements, and long distances between services made the Mojave Desert and western Arizona an ideal testing ground. If an automobile could deliver reliable fuel economy through these diverse landscapes, manufacturers had a powerful marketing story that easily translated into promotional campaigns.

 Oil companies wanted motorists to use their gasoline. Automobile manufacturers wanted families to imagine vacations. Newspapers throughout the country followed results closely, and the manufacturers of winning cars proudly proclaimed their success in advertisements. Many of these advertisements featured scenes along Route 66.

Largely forgotten today, the Cactus Derby, Goodyear tire promotion and the economy runs all contributed to the popularity of Route 66. They also played a role in the development of tourism and service industries, and after WWII, the transformation of the Colorado River Valley into a destination for winter refugees.

Written by Jim Hinckley’s America