From Le Journal Amusant, 1901.

Putting the basket on the hood is as good a way as any to show the world that you're the sort of person who goes on picnics.  From Lustige Blätter, 1916.  We're designating this a precursor to Mrs. Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances driving around with snow skiis sticking out of her car to show the neighbors that she's the sort of person who might go skiing.

Cupids and car wrecks -- a recurrent theme in old French satirical magazines.  (In this case, it's a reference to auto racer Lydston Grandville "Cupid" Hornsted.)  From Le Régiment, 1913.

A car accident gets them hot -- a precursor to the Ballard novel and film of Crash.  From Le Régiment, 1913.

Auto exhaust cupids.  (It doesn't just mean that love is exhausting.  It's a reference to auto racer Lydston Grandville "Cupid" Hornsted.)  From Le Régiment, 1913.

And yet we also spotted a 14-years earlier instance of cherubs in car smoke, presumably not related to Cupid the car racer.  So it's some sort of "thing."  From Lustige Blätter, 1899.

We've been on this road.  It's in Cornwall.  Frankly, there are lingering questions.  From The Business of Life by A. B. ZuTavern and A. E. Bullock and illustrated by Leo Thiele, 1936.

Not hubcaps but lens caps, and every race is a photo finish -- the camera car.  From Lustige Blätter, 1906.

The rainmobile of 1926.  From Fliegende Blätter.

From The Judge, 1921.