Thomas Russell poses behind the wheel during a display of Russell cars in the early 1900s. On a brisk February day in 1907, four brave men eased a brand new, slightly modifed automobile off solid ground and headed out onto the windswept ice of Lake Ontario. They were wearing the standard outdoor sporting attire of the day--black overcoats and bowler hats--and seated in an open vehicle lacking a roof, doors or even a windshield. The bitterly cold wind gusting across the lake made them continuously clasp their hats to their heads. That was fine because they were not ou...