MERCEDES-BENZ & Duo Recreate First
Coast-To-Coast Drive By A Woman
8 June 1999
Cross Country Trip Focuses on Automotive World of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.Commemorates the 90th anniversary of the first woman to drive across the United States,
MONTVALE, N.J. -- Automotive journalists Sue Mead and Tara Baukus Mello
are in the final stages of preparing for their journey which will trace
the route of the first woman to drive across the United States.
Departing 90 years later to the day, Mead and Mello will follow in Alice
Ramsey's tire tracks as a celebration of pioneering automotive women and the
advances in automotive technology over the century. Mercedes-Benz USA is a
primary sponsor of their trip, which begins June 9, 1999 in New York City.
In 1909, Alice Huyler Ramsey drove from New York City to San Francisco
with three female friends, becoming the first woman to drive across the United
States. The trip, which was sponsored by the Maxwell-Briscoe Car Company, was
completed in 59 days, faster than all the men who had driven cross-country
prior to Alice. Twenty-two year old Alice drove the entire distance and
encountered many adventures along the way including multiple flat tires,
broken axles, a group of Native Americans on horseback and even a sheriffs
posse who suspected the women briefly of murder.
Mead and Mello will follow Alice's route as closely as today's roads allow
to San Francisco, where they will arrive on June 17. Publicity stops will
include Manhattan, Chicago, Cedar Rapids, Cheyenne, Salt Lake City, Sacramento
and San Francisco. They will begin the journey in a Maxwell, on loan from
Hemmings Motor News, driving it a short distance in New York City. The
primary vehicle for the 3,500-mile trip will be the new Mercedes-Benz S500.
In San Francisco, they will switch to the Dodge Intrepid ESX2, a "mybrid" or
mild hybrid powered by both a diesel engine and lead acid batteries.
When Mead and Mello began planning their 1999 journey, they considered a
variety of vehicles to represent the present advances in automotive
technology. Although several manufacturers are highly regarded for their
technological advancements, the 2000 Mercedes-Benz S500, met all the
requirements for the trip.
Among the features that made Mead and Mello choose the new S-Class is the
navigational system, which is standard in both the S430 and S500. The
satellite-based navigation system offers a display in the center console and
in the instrument panel as well as verbal commands. Integrated with the GPS
system is Tele-Aid, a system that offers roadside assistance, an information
service and emergency help at the touch of a button.
The Tele-Aid SOS emergency service is also automatically contacted if an
airbag is deployed. The system automatically knows, the location, model and
color of the vehicle and will send help even if no one in the vehicle is able
to respond. Other safety features include full-frontal airbags,
head-protection side curtain airbags and door-mounted airbags in all four of
its doors. The 2000 S-Class also features the world's first smart cruise
control system which maintains a pre-set distance behind the car in front by
varying the accelerator and even applying partial braking if necessary.
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class that Mead and Mello will drive has several
unique features. Among these are an extra-powerful cellular antenna and
Michelin zero-pressure tires. Shell gasoline will be used in the vehicle and,
during the trip the S-Class will be refueled at the Shell SmartPump, a robotic
gas pump in Sacramento.
Mead and Mello's trip will also be used as an educational tool for
elementary and middle school students. Three teachers in the Ridgewood,
New Jersey school district, where Alice lived and her children attended
school, have designed a curriculum using both the historical and 1999 trip.
Areas covered include history, vocabulary, geography, math, problem solving,
cooperative learning, science and the arts. The unit is available on Mead and
Mello's web site for any teachers who would like to adapt it in their
classrooms.
