These antique automobiles are travelling from Times Square in New York City to the Ferry Building in San Francisco, Calif., re-creating the historic 1908 Great Automobile Race. HERALD PHOTOS/Becky Crum

Actors Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon were nowhere in sight, but Luke Rizzuto took the lead and put out a computer request for anyone to join him to re-create the north American leg of the historical 1908 Great Automobile Race, which was immortalized in the 1950s film “The Great Race.”

He got several replies and began making plans to travel from Times Square, Central Park, New York to the Ferry Building in San Francisco, Calif.

“We left on Oct. 18 and will arrive in San Francisco on Nov. 8,” Rizzuto said. “Jeff Mahl, the great-grandson of George Schuster, Sr. (who won the New York to Paris Auto Race in 1908), is going to meet us in Ely, Nev. to go the rest of the trip. We aren’t being sponsored by anyone. We’ve done this on our own. We did it because we wanted to do something to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the race.”

Since starting the race on Oct. 18, the group has had several auto clubs come out and go part of the way with them, they have stopped at schools to talk to children, they’ve been in parades and visited museums, talked to historians and stopped at weigh stations along the way.

They are trying to recreate the route as closely as possible to the original one that was used 100 years ago, Rizzuto said.

The vehicles in the procession are a 1947 Dodge, a 1967 Volkswagen, a 1951 Peterbilt, a 1940 Cadillac limo, a 1929 Roadster, and a 1918 V8 Chevy.

“We are having a lot of fun. Evanston seems like a great little town. There are a lot of nice people here. Everyone likes our Peterbilt and we have been welcomed by everyone we see,” Rizzuto said.

Rizzuto said when they arrive in San Francisco on Nov. 7 they have a big celebration planned.