Mercedes-Benz: the fastest car in the world as early as 1909 🎥
RECORD With a breathtaking maximum speed of more than 200 km/h at the time, the Blitzen-Benz became the fastest car in the world at the beginning of the twentieth century. It can be seen in the museum in Stuttgart.
Close-up is the name of the current series at the Mercedes-Benz Museum. Each episode reveals surprising and enigmatic facts. The focus is on important details of the respective vehicles. This time it's about the Blitzen-Benz in the Mythos 7 room.
Aerodynamic silver arrows
Almost 115 years ago, the designers designed the body to be as aerodynamic as possible without any help from a wind tunnel. The basic shape resembles a cigar, and the rounded radiator grille splits the airflow at the front, which flows out over the elongated rear. The driver crouches low in the cockpit. The seat for the accompanying mechanic is narrow, as are the tires on the clad wooden-spoke wheels.
Engine is started with crank handle
Four large-diameter exhaust pipes protrude from the hood. They suggest plenty of engine power. The Blitzen-Benz is extremely loud, as there are no silencers. Gears and chains transmit the power to the rear wheels and the engine is started by a crank.
The basis for the record-breaking vehicle was the engine of the Benz 150 hp Grand Prix racing car, but its power was not sufficient for the ambitious project. The displacement of the four-cylinder engine was therefore increased to 21.5 liters. This gave the racing car 200 hp at 1600 rpm and earned it the name Benz 200 hp. With a flying start, the car reached 205.666 km/h over half a mile and 202.648 km/h over one kilometer on November 8, 1909 with works driver Victor Hémery on the race track in Brooklands. The magic mark of 200 km/h was broken for the first time in Europe, and for the first time with an internal combustion engine.
211.97 km/h on a dead straight track
In 1910, the record-breaking car was shipped to America. Its owner Ernie Moross named it Lightning-Benz - which translates into German as Blitzen- Benz. On March 16, 1910, Barney Oldfield even achieved 211.97 km/h over the mile with a flying start on the dead straight Daytona beach runway. After that, Oldfield used the Blitzen-Benz at show events and demonstrated it to thousands of curious people in America.
