In 1909, the Blitzen Benz was built in Mannheim by Benz & Cie. The vehicle was one of six built with a 21.5 litres (1,311 cu in), 200 hp inline four engine enlarged from the company's Grand Prix racer. The car was modified to improve its aerodynamics. At Brooklands

Brooklands

Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England. It opened in 1907, and was the world's first purpose-built motorsport venue, as well as one of Britain's first airfields...

 on November 9, 1909, land speed racer

Land speed record

The land speed record is the highest speed achieved by a wheeled vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation and regulation; in practice the Category C flying start regulations are used, officiated by regional or national organizations under the auspices of the Fédération...

 Victor Hémery

Victor Hémery

Victor Hémery was a champion driver of early Grand Prix motor racing who was born in Sillé-le-Guillaume, France, Sarthe, France. In 1904 he joined Automobiles Darracq S.A. as their chief tester and helped prepare cars to compete in that year's Gordon Bennett Cup...

 of France set a record with an average speed of 202.7 kilometres per hour (126 mph) over a kilometer. On April 23, 1911, Bob Burman

Bob Burman

Bob Burman was an American racecar driver active in the formative years of auto racing.-Biography:He was born on April 23, 1884 in Imlay City, Michigan. He was the winner of the Prest-O-Lite Trophy Race in 1909. He competed at the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911...

 recorded an average of 228.1 kilometres per hour (141.7 mph) over a full mile at Daytona Beach, a record that would not be surpassed until 1919.

After 1914 the car was rebuilt for circuit racing, undergoing a number of revisions before it was broken up in 1923. Several other examples of the 200 hp have survived.

External links

• 'The Blitzen Benz Remembered'
• The Blitzen-Benz- Autospeed