Teddy Tetzlaff was a turn-of-the-century, American racing hero, tagged “Terrible Ted” by the media of his day. Tetzlaff didn’t particularly like the moniker, but it aptly described the fearsome, win-at-all-costs driving style that gained him nationwide acclaim during the birth of auto racing in this country.

Born Theodore Herbert in Los Angeles during 1883, Tetzlaff’s first venture into racing occurred in 1909 at the AAA-sanctioned Santa Monica Road Race, where he finished ninth manhandling his lumbering, 600-cubic-inch Lozier.