1909 Blitzen Benz
1909 Blitzen Benz
In 1909, the Blitzen Benz was built in Mannheim by Benz & Cie. The vehicle was one of six built with a 21,500 cm3 (1,312.0 cu in), 200 hp (149.1 kW) inline four engine enlarged from the company's Grand Prix racer. The car was modified to improve its aerodynamics. At Brooklands on November 9, 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 kilometer. On April 23, 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.
