Driven by a General Staff Lieutenant on leave from the German Army, the huge Protos racing car was a disputed winner of the Great Race of 1908.
The 1908 German Protos Race Team’s First Leg New York to Seattle
Six cars from four countries with 17 crew members lined up in Times Square New York on February 12, 1908 to begin the race. The Protos and her 3-man crew almost immediately fell behind. By the time they reached Chicago on March 29 only Lt Koeppen remained with the Protos, the other two members leaving the expedition due to conflicting personalities. Of the five cars still in the race, the German team was in fifth place and had no experienced driver. Koeppen promptly hired an American driver, OW Snyder, who both taught the Lieutenant to drive and also served as his new primary driver. Snyder became sick and left Koeppen in Ogden, Utah with the broken one-of-a-kind vehicle. Falling even further behind and unable to drive alone, Koeppen had the Protos shipped by rail 800-miles from Pocatello, Idaho to Seattle where it was then packed aboard steamer to Vladivostok.
Lieutenant Hans Koeppen across Russia and into Paris
When the Protos and Lt Koeppen arrived in Vladivostok they were met by two new German drivers, Robert Fuchs and Casper Neuberger, and they set off in pursuit of the American and Italian teams ahead of them. The Protos team won a $1000 bonus prize from the Alaska-Siberia Steamship Company for reaching Chita first from Vladivostok on June 14 and then another $1000 from the Imperial Russian Auto Club for reaching St Petersburg first on July 20th. Racing across Europe the Protos team sped through Berlin first to the ecstatic local crowds. Finally, on July 26, 1908 they arrived first in Paris. Only two of the other cars that started the race four months before even finished. Koeppen however was given a 15-day penalty due to the Pocatello-Seattle train trip (although he was still in fifth place at the end of the train trip) and the winner was declared to be the American Thomas Flyer driven by the indestructible George Schuster into Paris on July 30. The third place winner was an Italian team in the Zusk that finished quietly in September.
Koeppen and the Protos after the Great Race
Koeppen, even though he lost by technicality and wasn’t even the car's primary driver, was seen as the winner of the race in his homeland. He wrote two books about the race which became very popular in Europe. He was touted as something of an Edwardian-era pop star, was quickly promoted to Hauptmann (Captain) and made an adjutant to the Quartermaster General where he specialized in logistics. He spent most of World War One on various staff appointments while continuing promotion. During the Great War he commanded the 27th Infantry and won the Ritterkreuz with Swords in 1918. He retired as a Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel) from Army service in 1919. He was recalled to serve in the Luftwaffe in 1936 where he served in staff positions until retiring for good in 1944 as a Generalmajor. The 72-year old General had served his country during two world wars and 33 years of active service
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