Driving a modern car at speed is pretty effortless. The machine is designed to keep you comfortable and safe. If it were legal, you could cruise at triple digits on the highway in almost anything new, and doing so would be a breeze. As you slide backward through automotive history, however, the ability to drive at speed becomes increasingly difficult. Eventually, you arrive at the earliest automotive machines where simply getting them to move requires attention and effort. The Audrain Veteran Car Tour celebrates these vehicles and those who pilot them.

Our friends Matt and Zack from The Smoking Tire flew out to Rhode Island to sample a 1902 Yale 16hp Rear Entrance Tonneau over the course of 50 miles in the Ocean State. This isn’t their first time attempting the event, as the initial run didn’t quite go so well, even if it resulted in a pretty hilarious photo.

Hopefully the second time around things go better?

Indeed it did. After some initial fuel valve-related issues, the car ran wonderfully. At one point, the team even gets up to 40 mph, which in that car has to be pretty damn terrifying.

The whole event seems like a wonderful celebration of the earliest cars still running. The TST team pulled off a fourth-place finish this go around, which is a better time compared to their prior experience.