Miss America VIII was regarded as the best of Nap Lisee’s racing hydroplane boats. Capable of speeds over 100mph she was owner Gar Wood’s favorite of the ten Miss America boats he had built.
Fast Facts
- Garfield Wood is probably best known for his “Miss America” racing speedboats.
- Gar Wood was a self-made millionaire, inventor of a hydraulic mechanism used for tipping coal trucks, and for a garbage truck compactor.
- There were ten “Miss America” speedboats made to contest the British International Harmsworth Trophy and Gar Wood won the event eight times.
- Gar Wood’s favorite of the Miss America boats was Miss America VIII which was fitted with twin V-16 engines by Harry Miller.
- Miss America VIII is coming up for sale by Mecum Auctions at their Kissimmee 2026 auction.
Garfield Arthur Wood – known as Gar Wood – was a self-made millionaire who had created his wealth through his inventions – the initial and most influential being his invention of a hydraulic system by which to empty coal trucks.
Among his other creations was a garbage compacter that also helped to expand his affluence to rather substantial proportions.
There is a Revivaler post in which you will find more detail of Gar Wood’s life which you will find if you click here.
With his wealth Gar Wood was able to indulge his sporting passion for speedboats and power boat racing. Back in the 1920’s and 1930’s the most prestigious speedboat racing event was the British Harmsworth Trophy which was the power boat equivalent of the America’s Cup which was contested by the magnificent J Class sailing boats.
Just as the America’s Cup became a source of great interest in both Britain and the United States so also the Harmsworth Trophy provided a gladiatorial spectacle of speed and ear splitting sound. The boats used to contest the races were not only fast but, just like automobile racing, were potentially dangerous. Racing tends to require that the racer be going as fast as possible and that means being on the edge of control – or lack thereof.
The design breakthrough that brought about a transformation in potential boat speed was the creation of the step hydroplane hull design which enabled the boat to literally fly over the water instead of plowing through it.
The step hydroplane hull design then encouraged designers to fit ever more powerful engines in their efforts to attain 100mph or more on the water. The quest for more and more power led to the use of modified aircraft engines both by Gar Wood and Christopher Columbus Smith.
Both Wood and Smith worked together on a boat they named Miss Detroit III in 1917. This step hydroplane was powered by a 1,650 cu. in. V4 Curtis aircraft engine. Miss Detroit III was subsequently given an upgrade in the form of a Curtis “12” engine which was rebuilt to make it suitable for the pounding it would get in the hydroplane. The success of this was proven when the boat won the 15th Gold Cup Race on the Detroit River.
Christopher Smith parted company with Gar Wood and set up his own boat building business Chris Craft. Gar Wood’s boats were from that time designed by Napoleon Lisee, known as “Nap” Lisee. He would design all ten of Gar Wood’s Miss America boats and is credited with the design the top thirty speed boats of that era.
The Miss America boats were created to win the British International Harmsworth Trophy and they were successful nine times between 1920 and 1933: with Gar Wood personally driving his boats for eight of those victories.
Miss America VIII won the Harmsworth Trophy twice, the first time being in 1929. In 1930 she came second behind Gar Wood’s Miss America IX, and then in 1931 she won the race again albeit in rather controversial circumstances.
Miss America VIII was to undergo her most significant improvement after that race however. Gar Wood was a motorsport aficionado and while he was attending the Indianapolis 500 motor race of 1931 he met with racing engine builder Harry Miller.
Gar Wood had Harry Miller build a pair of 1,113 cu. in. V-16 engines for installation into Miss America VIII. These engines were designed to run at 6,000rpm and produced about 1,800hp each. They were much lighter and produced more power than the Packard V-12 engines they replaced.
The proof of the pudding came in the fall of 1931 during testing on the Harlem River. Miss America VIII with the Miller engines ensconced in her hull delivered 104mph.
Miss America VIII was to be Gar Wood’s favorite of all the boats he had. He said of her “she’s the best boat we ever had“.
Nap Lisee agreed and said of Miss America VIII “the Eighth was the finest boat he (Gar Wood) ever built, barring none… That’s my masterpiece … the Eighth. It’s even better than the Tenth.”
Miss America VIII is a historic boat – one of the most famous of the Harmsworth Trophy contenders and a tribute to those who created her and raced her.
She’s coming up for sale by Mecum Auctions at their Kissimmee 2026 auction to be held in Kissimmee Florida between January 6-18th, 2026.
Picture Credits: All pictures courtesy Mecum Auctions.
Jon Branch is the founder and senior editor of Revivaler and has written a significant number of articles for various publications including official Buying Guides for eBay, classic car articles for Hagerty, magazine articles for both the Australian Shooters Journal and the Australian Shooter, and he’s a long time contributor to Silodrome.
Jon has done radio, television, magazine and newspaper interviews on various issues, and has traveled extensively, having lived in Britain, Australia, China and Hong Kong. His travels have taken him to Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan and a number of other countries. He has studied the Japanese sword arts and has a long history of involvement in the shooting sports, which has included authoring submissions to government on various firearms related issues and assisting in the design and establishment of shooting ranges.
