| Blitzen Benz | |
| Manufacturer: | Benz & Cie |
| Production: | 1909 |
| Assembly: | Mannheim, Germany |
| Class: | Racecar |
| Layout: | Front engine, rear-wheel drive Dual-chain drive[1] |
| Body Style: | Roadster |
| Engine: | 215041NaN1 I4 |
| Transmission: | 4-speed manual gate-type shift |
| Weight: | 14501NaN1[2] |
| Wheelbase: | 28001NaN1 |
| Length: | 48201NaN1 |
| Width: | 16001NaN1 |
| Height: | 12801NaN1 |
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, 215041NaN1, capacity 185x with 2001NaN1, 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 202.7km/h 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 200.7km/h 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 228.1km/h 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.[5] Burman's record stood until 1919.[6]
After 1914 the car was rebuilt for circuit racing, undergoing a number of revisions before it was broken up in 1923.[6]
| Benz | Racing car engine | |
|---|---|---|
| Working process | Four-stroke Otto | |
| Cylinders | 4 / in-line | |
| Displacement | 21,504 cm³ | |
| Bore × stroke | 185 × 200 mm | |
| Power | 200 hp at 1600 rpm | |
| Torque | over 875 Nm | |
| Compression ratio | 1:5.8 | |
| Maximum speed | 1650 rpm | |
| Valves | hanging, 2 per cylinder, side camshaft, drive via gears | |
| Mixture preparation | 1 horizontal round slide carburetor | |
| Fuel supply | Pneumatic hand pump, operated by the passenger | |
| Lubrication | Initially splash lubrication, later pressure circulation lubrication via gear pump and fresh oil addition | |
| Starter | Starting crank, starter buzzer ignition | |
| Ignition | High-voltage magneto ignition, 2 Bosch D4 magnetos | |
| Ignition adjustment | by hand using a lever on the steering wheel | |
| Fuel tank | 73 l |