Fiat "Mefistofele" 1924 record breaker car seen at Classic Days 2013, Schloss Dyck Germany
The story of the Mefistofele started in 1908, when Fiat introduced the SB4 chain-driven Grand Prix racer. After seeing it race, Sir Ernest Eldridge from Britain bought the car with the aim of turning it into a speed record breaker. The original car's engine was replaced with a massive airplane powerplant, a liquid-cooled Fiat-built inline six-cylinder unit (type A-12 Bis) that developed 320 horsepower at 1,800 rpm. To accommodate the long and heavy engine, Eldridge lengthened the SB4's chassis using parts from a London bus. The car was chain-driven and had brakes only at the rear, which made it a handful for even the most experienced of drivers. On July 12 1924 the Mefistofele, which obtained its name from the press because of the smoke and explosions produced by its massive engine, set the world land speed record in Arpajon, France. The long, 2-tonne car driven by Eldridge, recorded an official top speed of 234,980 km/h (146 mph) in what is said to be the last land speed record event organised on public roads. And even though its record stood for only 32 days, the fame of the Fiat Mefistofele survived more than a century after its birth. The car is still perfectly functional and can be admired at the Centro Storico Fiat in Turin.
Size: 3872px × 2592px
Location: Dyck Castle near Düsseldorf, North Rhine Westphalia, Germany, Europe
Photo credit: © eddie linssen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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