It's been 100 years since 17 men, in six of the most innovative automobiles from France, Germany, Italy and the United States, left Times Square in New York and headed for the finish line in Paris, France.

The recreation of The Greatest Auto Race of 1908, was supposed to begin next month, but has been postponed after the permits required to travel through China were unexpectedly recalled and put on hold.

This year more than 30 vintage roadsters and specially built vehicles were due to depart from New York on May 30 and hopefully arrive at the Eiffel Tower on August 2 after traveling 18,843 miles.

No explanation was given for why China pulled its permission, but Great Race Sports chief executive, Bill Ewing, said 'Great Race Sports is hard at work exploring all options to run this race in honor of the 100th anniversary,'

The original 1908 race organisers, to prove that the newly invented automobile was a durable machine, purposely made this the longest, toughest race ever run, by requiring the teams to drive the entire distance westward from New York City to Paris without the use of a boat.

The only way this could be done was to schedule the race during the dead of winter when the narrow body of water between Alaska and Russia froze over.