Blitzen Benz 1909
£15.00
A car that broke the world speed record 4 times between 1909 and 1914
In stock
Description
The Blitzen Benz was a car built by Benz & Cie for the Grand Prix circuit in Mannheim, Germany, in 1909. At Brooklands on 9 November 1909, land speed racer Victor Hémery of France set a record with an average speed of 202.7 kilometres per hour (126.0 mph) over a kilometre. In 1910 an enhanced model broke the world land speed record. It was one of six cars based on the Grand Prix car, but it had an enlarged engine, 21,504 cm3 (1,312.3 in3), capacity 185 mm × 200 mm (7.28 in × 7.87 in) with 200 hp (149.1 kW), inline-four and improved aerodynamics. On 23 April 1911, Bob Burman recorded an average of 228.1 kilometres per hour (141.7 mph) over a full mile at Daytona Beach, breaking Glenn Curtiss’s unofficial absolute speed record, land, sea or air, set in 1907 on his V-8 motorcycle. Burman’s record stood until 1919. At Brooklands on 24 June 1914, land speed racer British driver Lydston Hornsted, in Blitzen Benz No 3, set a record with an average speed of 200.7 kilometres per hour (124.7 mph) with 2 runs over a 1-mile course, under the new regulations of the Association International des Automobile Clubs Reconnus (AIACR).
Of the six Blitzen Benzes ever made, only two survive – Mercedes-Benz owns one, while the other belongs to an American collector.
After 1914 the car was rebuilt for circuit racing, undergoing a number of revisions before it was broken up in 1923.
Additional information
| Weight | 0.0187 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 42.5 × 25.5 cm |
