The first front wheel drive car, the 1905 Christie 4 cylinder Vanderbilt cup racecar

Above photo from http://steampunkvehicles.tumblr.com/ Walter Christie was involved in the engineering of many other vehicles, steamships, submarines, aircraft and fire engines coincidentally, and this past weekend I and Justacargal were examining the one at the Nethercutt museum just North of Los Angeles in the San Fernando valley: http://justacargal-s.blogspot.com/2011/03/1913-christie-fire-engine.html

the 3 some of race cars at the 1908 Minnesota state fair is from http://steampunkvehicles.tumblr.com/

At one time, it had a second engine on the rear wheels, in the same transverse powering it's own axle

The bottom photo is from http://www.atomicantiques.com/

The top 3 are from http://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/index.php/blog/article/thursday_november_12_2009_the_christie_fron-wheel_drive_racer_in_the_1905_r

Nov 2011 update, Stohr Design is goign to recreate the Vanderbuilt cup racer of Christie's http://www.stohrdesign.com/christie-automobiles-1903-1909.html