{"id":497948,"date":"2018-12-05T11:34:33","date_gmt":"2018-12-05T19:34:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportscardigest.com\/\/?p=69103"},"modified":"2024-06-04T15:28:28","modified_gmt":"2024-06-04T15:28:28","slug":"hat-in-the-ring-1925-rickenbacker-d6-sedan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/hat-in-the-ring-1925-rickenbacker-d6-sedan\/","title":{"rendered":"1925 Rickenbacker D6 Sedan – Hat in the Ring"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, much of the world quietly celebrated the 100th\u00a0<\/sup>anniversary of the Armistice that ended \u201cThe War to End All Wars.\u201d Total casualties, killed and wounded, numbered about 37 million. Of that number, approximately 17 million were killed \u2013 7 million civilians and 10 million military personnel. Sadly, the agreement to end that war included provisions that ultimately led to the Second World War. There were plenty of stories of heroism and devotion to duty during the war, and one of those belongs to Edward Vernon Rickenbacker, America\u2019s \u201cAce of Aces,\u201d race driver, savior of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, leader of Eastern Airlines, and Vice President of Rickenbacker Motor Company.<\/p>\n

Eddie Rickenbacker<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Eventually, Rickenbacker was made Squadron Commander and promoted to Captain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The man we know as Edward Vernon Rickenbacker was actually born Edward Rickenbacher on October 8, 1890. His parents were German-speaking, Swiss immigrants. As a child, Eddie was a bit of a rascal and somewhat accident prone. He was hit by a streetcar when he was four, fell down a well, scarred his chin when he fell from a tree, and had to be rescued by his brother when he got his foot stuck in a railroad track. He was also a risk-taker. Together with his buddies, the self-named Horsehead Gang, they went to a gravel pit where they pushed a rail wagon up a hill so they could ride it back down. Eddie somehow fell and was run over by the wagon, which cut his leg to the bone. It was one of the injuries that he would disguise for the rest of his life.<\/p>\n

Eddie Rickenbacker was far more than a risk-taking rapscallion. He was an achiever; someone who overcame the obstacles put in his life path. John F. Ross, in is biography \u201cEnduring Courage \u2013 Ace Pilot Eddie Rickenbacker and the Dawn of the Age of Speed,\u201d explained Rickenbacker well: \u201cUltimately, Rickenbacker\u2019s story boils down to courage. Not the kind of courage that comes in a blinding rush . . . but one that is trained to purpose and gets stronger, wiser, and more effective with experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first test of his courage came in 1904. He was a 13-year-old seventh-grader when his sometimes violent father, William, started a fight that he lost. After weeks in a coma, William Rickenbacher died, leaving his wife Lizzie with seven children to feed and clothe. Eddie\u2019s response was to quit school, lie about his age and grade level and go to work at the Federal Glass Factory. Despite having three older siblings, Eddie assumed the role of the head of the family.<\/p>\n

One year later, in 1905, Eddie saw a crowd gathering and pushed his way through to see what the attraction was. A salesman was showing off a 10 horsepower Ford Model C. Eddie was intrigued. When the salesman saw him, he must have thought it would make an impression on the crowd if he took the kid for a ride. Eddie climbed aboard, and off they went. Eddie was completely seduced by automobiles by the end of the ride.<\/p>\n

Hoping for a better salary than at the glass factory, Eddie went to work for the Pennsylvania Railroad cleaning rail cars. His curiosity and energy earned him a place working in the machine shop, where he did mostly menial jobs but earned the respect of the older workers. He good-naturedly took the jokes and teasing by the older men, and they taught him about using a lathe. He worked there until a wheel came off a cart loaded with lumber, spilling the wood and trapping Eddie against his lathe. Another deep cut to his leg put him to bed for several days, but boredom got him up and out of the house to hobble the streets of Columbus.<\/p>\n