The Blitzen-Benz was purpose built to do just one thing, to break speed records (not racing), and it did repeatedly from 1909 through 1911.Its speed of 228.1km/h (141.73mph) on April 23rd, 1911, driven by Bob Burman at Daytona Beach, stood as a record until 1919.
source/image: EarthAdvocate
Twice the speed of the fastest airplane,12 April,1911Alfred Leblanc 69.442mph/ 111.801kph in a Blériot Blériot and even shattering the record speed of 210km/h set by a locomotive in 1903.This record was not even officially broken in an airplane until 1920!/EarthAdvocate
Of the six Blitzen-Benzes ever made, two survive—Mercedes-Benz owns one, while the other belongs to a U.S. collector.
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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.
