The short-lived Thomas car company based in Buffalo, NY saw a moderate amount of success in the period before the first World War.  Perhaps the highlight accomplishment of this marque was the winning of the prestigious NY to Paris Race in 1908 in a 1907 Thomas Flyer Runabout.   George Schuster and Montague Roberts drove "around the world" in 169 days, a very impressive achievement for the era.  This had a positive effect on sales, which went from 700 cars in 1907 to 817 cars in 1908, and all the way up to 1036 cars in 1909.  Unfortunately for Thomas, their line of vehicles presented less and less value for the money in a quickly-changing competitive landscape, and the company went into receivership in 1912.   The last cars from Thomas were built to order in 1918, and possibly as late as 1919.