Front engine, rear-wheel drive Dual-chain drive[1]
Powertrain
Engine
21,504 cm3 (1,312.3 in3) I4[1]
Transmission
4-speed manual gate-type shift[1]
Dimensions
Wheelbase
2,800 mm (110.2 in)[2]
Length
4,820 mm (189.8 in)[2]
Width
1,600 mm (63.0 in)[2]
Height
1,280 mm (50.4 in)[2]
Curb weight
1,450 kg (3,196.7 lb)[2]
Rear view
The Blitzen Benz is a race car built by Benz & Cie in Mannheim, Germany, in 1909. In 1910 an enhanced model broke the world land speed record. It was one of six cars based on the Grand Prix car, but it had an enlarged engine, 21,504 cm3 (1,312.3 in3), 200 hp (149.1 kW) inline-four, and improved aerodynamics.
Of the six Blitzen Benzes ever made, only two survive—Mercedes-Benz owns one, while the other belongs to an American collector.[3]
At Brooklands on 9 November 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 kilometre.
At Brooklands on 24 June 1914, land speed racer British driver Lydston Hornsted, in Blitzen Benz No 3, set a record with an average speed of 200.7 kilometres per hour (124.7 mph) with 2 runs over a 1-mile course, under the new regulations of the Association International des Automobile Clubs Reconnus (AIACR).[4]
On 23 April 1911, Bob Burman recorded an average of 228.1 kilometres per hour (141.7 mph) over a full mile at Daytona Beach,[5] breaking Glenn Curtiss's unofficial absolute speed record, land, sea or air, set in 1907 on his V-8 motorcycle.[6] Burman's record stood until 1919.[5]
After 1914 the car was rebuilt for circuit racing, undergoing a number of revisions before it was broken up in 1923.[5]
A 1909 Benz 200 Blitzen Benz at the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Blitzen-Benz.
^ abc"1910 Benz 200HP Blitzen-Benz Specifications". conceptcarz.com. Retrieved 2013-10-08.
^ abcde"1909 Benz 200HP Blitzen-Benz Specs". carsession.com. Retrieved 2013-10-08.
^"The Blitzen-Benz". AutoSpeed. No. 360. December 6, 2005. Archived from the original on April 26, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
^Northey, Tom (1974). "Land Speed Record: The Fastest Men on Earth". Tom Northey. World of Automobiles. Vol. 10 (London: Orbis), pp.1163.
^ abc"The fastest car in the world: the 228.1-km/h "Blitzen-Benz"". Daimler AG. 17 March 2011. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
The BlitzenBenz is a race car built by Benz & Cie in Mannheim, Germany, in 1909. In 1910 an enhanced model broke the world land speed record. It was one...
used the first initial of Benz's first name, "Carl".[citation needed] In 1909, the BlitzenBenz was built in Mannheim by Benz & Cie. The bird-beaked vehicle...
1909 in a Mercedes-Benz. He bought a Benz, and raised his speed in 1910 to 70.159 mph (112.910 km/h) while driving his "BlitzenBenz". Later in 1910 Oldfield...
specifically to beat the land speed record held in those years by the BlitzenBenz. Its 28,353 cc displacement engine delivered 290 hp. Only two examples...
The Benz Velo was one of the first cars, introduced by Carl Benz in 1894 as the followup to the Patent Motorwagen. 67 Benz Velos were built in 1894 and...
business. The name was changed to ArBenz in 1912. The capitalization was to suggest association with the BlitzenBenz. Fred was president and Nand was the...
the first ever 1911 Indianapolis 500 in a Benz, before the race he made exhibition runs in the BlitzenBenz on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and set...
the Le Mans Grand Prix d'Endurance until 1930. In the 1930s the Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union teams did not apply the traditional German white paint, and...
racing green green, French Bleu de France blue, etc. German cars like the BlitzenBenz were white, as were the three Mercedes that won the 1914 French Grand...
Benz Patent-Motorwagen Viktoria is a car that was produced by Benz and Cie. from 1893 to 1900. It was the first four-wheeled vehicle produced by Benz...
Oldfield to purchase the 1909 "BlitzenBenz," a 200-horsepower, chain drive 21.5 liter machine from the New York Benz Auto Import Company for $6,000 and...
Salduro Chapter 5: Ernie Moross, Bill Rishel, Teddy Tetzlaff and the BlitzenBenz II arrive on the Salt Beds of Salduro". bangshift.com. Retrieved 6 Dec...
Moross engaged Tetzlaff to campaign the 300-horsepower (220 kW) Benz, naming it "BlitzenBenz 2." He broke the world land speed record mark by running 142...
of 27 litres capacity, with a gearbox and chain-drive from a pre-war BlitzenBenz. Still not fully developed by the time of Zborowski's death in November...
1905 and raised his speed in 1910 to 70.159 mph (112.910 km/h) in his "BlitzenBenz". In 1911, Ralph DePalma won the first Milwaukee Mile Championship car...
holder. At the Brooklands race track on 24 June 1914, he drove his 200 hp BlitzenBenz No 3 for two runs of 1 mile each, to average 124.09 mph, (199.70 km/h)...
Indianapolis and Atlanta. In March Barney Oldfield took the 21-litre BlitzenBenz to Daytona Beach and set a new Land Speed Record of 212.02,930.66 km/h...
weather to meet in the mountains by Monaco. In response to the 21-litre BlitzenBenz, Fiat built the enormous S76, with a 28.4-litre engine generating 290 bhp...
and endurance records. Benz & Cie built a new 12.4-litre racing-engine, and its 200 bhp derivative was put into the BlitzenBenz. This 21.5-litre monster...
autumn meeting, Duff appeared at the wheel of J.L. Dunne’s old 21-litre BlitzenBenz. He lost the 100 Mile Handicap to Parry Thomas, despite lapping at 114...
On August 12, 1914, Tetzlaff set a land speed record by driving the BlitzenBenz 142.8 miles per hour (229.8 kilometres per hour) at the Bonneville Salt...
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