Auto Polo

This is pretty far off-topic, but I just can’t help myself… I was cruising through the Library of Congress Flickr stream and found the photos you see here. From the little research I’ve done, I’ve been able to gather that Auto Polo was played for one season only on Coney Island.  The basic rules of polo were followed only the men and horses were replaced by teams that each consisted of eight men and four cars. An article covering the event found in a 1912 issue of the New York Times stated, “It would be hard to devise a game in which the players took bigger chances of mishap. The factor of danger may prove either a damper or a stimulus.�?

No shit sherlock.

Dig on the danger, the mayhem, and the early “roll bars.”