Two Hundred Horse Power

[Vista]

Pretty easy to achieve nowadays right? We can do it with a well built over sized Pinto, hell with the right set up, Fuel injection a turbo et al, you can probably do it with three cylinders in a 1.0 Fiesta!

 

So how big an engine do you reckon it took to do it with this car at the turn of the 20th Century?

 

[colr6]

Rough guess 12/14 ltr ?

[Danish]

27 litre, on the basis that it looks a bit like the Highman special "Babs" (but I don't think it is).

[Vista]

Nope and nope. Hint, it held the land speed record for a while at just under 142mph. Some serious bottle needed for that)

[eeb43]

21 litre

[Vista]

21 litre

Indeed, 21.5 litres to be exact.........and it was a 4 cylinder! Over 5.0 litres per cylinder

 

The Blitzen Benz, driven to 141.7mph in 1911 on Daytona Beach.

[eeb43]

Indeed, 21.5 litres to be exact.........and it was a 4 cylinder! Over 5.0 litres per cylinder

 

The Blitzen Benz, driven to 141.7mph in 1911 on Daytona Beach.

and chain driven!!!!!!!!!!!

[SmokeEm]

I think Col6 built the engine...

[accord83]

And to think the same power could be obtained from a 49cc Yamaha FS1E in the hands of any 16yr old in the 1970's, progress ay?

[eeb43]

I think Col6 built the engine...

would have been vauxhall underpowered if he had!!!!!!!!

[mk2dk]

And to think the same power could be obtained from a 49cc Yamaha FS1E in the hands of any 16yr old in the 1970's, progress ay?

Ha-Ha . . . That's right.

Went to a car meeting, and the guy sitting in front of me, told stories of his golden days on a Kreidler 49cc in the 70s. It did 210 km/h, tuned to perfection, using only a bent screwdriver.

[Snapper]

It would be interesting to know what the peak torque was and at what revs that happened.

 

To get that shape to 140+ mph the bhp does not tell the whole story

[accord83]

I bet he wore brown corduroy trousers.

[RodO]

And the frightening bit is that there probably was no seat belt in that car, and those old tyres were not exactly built for speed. 

 

All the driver had for protection was a leather flying helmet and goggles, maybe!