Automotive

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Alkett VsKfz 617 NK-101 Kubinka front Alkett VsKfz 617 / NK-101 Minenräumer - Alkett VsKfz 617 / NK-101 Minenräumer was a unique vehicle designed to clear mines. Built in Germany during WWII, the heavily armored machine would detonate mines by rolling over them.
Aéro-motocyclette Archdeacon Anzani pose Archdeacon (Buchet) Aéro-motocyclette - The aéro-motocyclette was a propeller-driven motorcycle built in France before any powered flight had taken place in Europe. Conceived by Ernest Archdeacon, the machine tested the efficiency of various propellers.
Sunbeam 350HP Blue Bird Pendine 2015 Blue Bird LSR Car Part 1: 350HP Sunbeam (1923-1925) - The Sunbeam 350HP set a LSR driven by Kenelm Lee Guinness in 1922, and then by Malcolm Campbell in 1924 and 1925. The 350HP was the first of Campbell’s famous Blue Bird LSR cars.
Napier-Campbell Blue Bird 1929 Blue Bird LSR Car Part 2: Napier-Campbell (1927-1929) - Powered by a Lion W-12 engine, the Napier-Campbell Blue Bird was built solely to set world absolute speed records. While it did achieve this goal, the records did not come easy for Malcolm Campbell.
Campbell-Napier-Railton Blue Bird Malcolm 1931 Blue Bird LSR Car Part 3: Campbell-Napier-Railton (1931-1932) - The Campbell-Napier-Railton Blue Bird was a Reid Railton redesign of Malcolm Campbell’s earlier LSR car. The racer carried Campbell beyond the 250 mph (400 km/h) mark in 1932.
Campbell-Railton-R-R 2013 National Motor Museum Blue Bird LSR Car Part 4: Campbell-Railton-Rolls-Royce (1933-1935) - To reach higher speeds, Malcolm Campbell’s Blue Bird LSR car was modified with a 2,500 hp Rolls-Royce R engine. With new bodywork, the car surpassed 300 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1935.
brayton-1876-inverted-walking-beam-engine Brayton Ready Motor Hydrocarbon Engine - George Brayton was a pioneer of the internal combustion engine and built commercially available engines starting in 1872. However, his constant-pressure cycle engines were outperformed by later engines.
Christie 1905 racer and Robertson Christie Inline Engine Race Cars - From 1903 to 1906, J. Walter Christie developed a series of front-wheel drive race cars, each powered by a four-cylinder inline engine. The 1905 car was even fitted with a second engine and all-wheel drive.
Christie 1906 V-4 Strang Vanderbilt Christie V-4 Engine 1906 Racer - J. Walter Christie’s first V-4-powered, front-wheel drive racer was run in 1906. Powered by a 100 hp (75 kW) engine that displaced 1,260 cu in (20.7 L), the racer was destroyed while testing for the Vanderbilt Cup.
Christie 1907 V-4 Oldfield Christie V-4 Engine 1907 Racer - In 1907, J. Walter Christie took his latest V-4-powered, front-wheel drive racer to Europe and participated in the French Grand Prix. Upon his return, Christine and others continued to race the car around the US.
Christie 1909 V-4 racer Christie V-4 Engine 1909 Racer - J. Walter Christie’s final front-wheel drive racer was the most powerful. The V-4 engine displaced 1,237 cu in (20.3 L) and produced around 200 hp (149 kW). The car was run for several years by Barney Oldfield.
Chrysler A57 Multibank Tank Engine - To cut development time, Chrysler combined five automotive engines to create the 30-cylinder A57 Multibank engine to power the M4A4 Sherman tank during WWII.
Napier-Railton-completed Cobb Napier-Railton Endurance Racer - In 1933, Reid Railton built for John Cobb the Napier-Railton racer to set the fastest lap at Brooklands and to set the 24-hour endurance record. Cobb and the Napier-Railton achieved these goals several times over.
Railton-1939-run Cobb Railton Land Speed Record Car - John Cobb’s Railton was the last LSR car of the piston-powered, wheel-driven era. Designed by Reid Railton, the twin-engine, all-wheel-drive car set three LSRs, the last of which was unbroken for 25 years.
cummins 1952 28 start Cummins Diesel Indy 500 Racers - The Cummins Engine Company used the Indianapolis 500 race to showcase its diesel engines as well as test new technology. Five cars competed in four races, and the best result was a 12th-place finish in 1934.
Djelmo Foresti Dark Blue Djelmo Land Speed Record Car - Built in France by Italian engineer Edmond Moglia and funded by Egyptian Prince Djelaleddin, the Djelmo car was intended to set a world speed record in Britain driven by Italian Giulio Foresti.
Duesenberg Milton LSR Beverly Hills Murphy Duesenberg-Milton Land Speed Record Car - Built solely to set speed records, the twin-engine Duesenberg-Milton record car set a US speed record of 156.046 mph (251.131 km/h) in 1920 that was not surpassed internationally until 1926.
FIAT-Mephistopheles-Goodwood Eldridge FIAT Mephistopheles LSR Car - Ernest Eldridge’s LSR car Mephistopheles was a 1908 FIAT Grand Prix chassis combined with a FIAT A.12bis aircraft engine. The car set an LSR in 1924, which was the last achieved on a public street.
Speed of the Wind 1936 group Eyston – Eldridge Speed of the Wind / Flying Spray - Speed of the Wind was a car built by George Eyston and Ernest Eldridge to set endurance records. The car was successful at Bonneville in the mid-1930s. Fitted with a diesel engine, it was renamed Flying Spray.
Eyston-Thunderbolt-1938-tail Eyston Thunderbolt Land Speed Record Car - In 1937, George Eyston designed and built his eight-wheeled, twin Rolls-Royce R-powered LSR car, Thunderbolt. In two years, Eyston set three LSRs, the last at 357.50 mph (575.34 km/h).
Smith Enterprise tow Fred H. Stewart Enterprise (Smith-Harkness) LSR Car - Designed by Don Harkness and driven by Wizard Smith, the 1,450 hp Fred H. Stewart Enterprise was intended to capture various LSRs. A multitude of issues resulted in the car only setting a 10-mile record.
Guidobaldi-front-left Guidobaldi 1939 Tilting-Body Prototype Racer - In the late 1930s, Francois Guidobaldi started building a revolutionary race car that leaned into turns. Powered by a two-stroke radial engine of his own design, the car was completed in the late 1950s.
Inside the Cylinder of a Diesel Engine – by Harry Ricardo - Sir Harry Ricardo was one of the foremost engine designers and researchers of the internal combustion engine. In this article, he takes us through the first moments of combustion in a diesel engine.
Irving-Napier Golden Arrow museum Irving-Napier Golden Arrow LSR Car - Driven by Henry Segrave and designed by John Irving, the Irving-Napier Golden Arrow set a new Land Speed Record at over 231 mph (372 km/h) on 11 March 1929. It was Segrave’s last land record.
Jenkins Duesenberg Special Jenkins Duesenberg Special / Mormon Meteor II - Ab Jenkins teamed up with Duesenberg Inc. and created a special endurance record car called the Duesenberg Special. The car was later modified and renamed the Mormon Meteor II.
Jenkins Mormon Meteor III restored Jenkins Mormon Meteor III - Following the Mormon Meteor II, Ab Jenkins and Augie Duesenberg built another special endurance record car called the Mormon Meteor III. Sixty years after its last record run, the car still holds about a dozen records.
Lockhart Stutz Black Hawk Indy Lockhart Stutz Black Hawk LSR Car - In 1928, Frank Lockhart built a land speed record car known as the Stutz Black Hawk Special. The car achieved record-setting speeds, but was destroyed in a crash that killed Lockhart.
Mercedes-Benz T80 (Type 80) LSR Car - Powered by a 3,000 hp (2,240 kW) DB 603 aircraft engine, the Mercedes-Benz T80 was built to capture the world land speed record for Germany. Because of WWII, the car was never finished.
mercedes-benz-w154-record-car Mercedes-Benz W154 Record Car - Mercedes-Benz modified one of their W154 Grand Prix race cars to set 1 km (.6 mi) and 1 mile (1.6 km) standing start speed records on a specially prepared section of the Autobahn in 1939.
Michel 3-cylinder Michel Opposed-Piston Diesel Engines - Starting in the 1920s, German engineer Hermann Michel designed a series of opposed-piston engines. Michel’s ultimate design was an engine in which three pistons converged in a common combustion chamber.
Monaco-Trossi1935 Wiki Monaco Trossi 1935 Grand Prix Racer - The Monaco Trossi Grand Prix racer of 1935 was one of the oddest Grand Prix race cars ever built. With its 16-cylinder, two-stroke engine and front-wheel drive arrangement, the car proved too unstable to race.
Perrier-Cadillac 41-75 front Perrier-Cadillac 41-75 Tank Engine - French engineer Robert Perrier combined three Cadillac engines to create the Perrier-Cadillac 41-75 “Clover Leaf” tank engine to power the Australian Cruiser Tank Mark III.
SGP Sla 16 X-16 front SGP Sla 16 (Porsche Type 203) X-16 Tank Engine - Designed by Porsche and Simmering-Graz-Pauker, the Sla 16 was a 750 hp (559 kW), air-cooled, diesel X-16 engine for tanks. The end of WWII prevented the German engine from going into production.
Smith Harkness Anzac test Smith-Harkness Anzac LSR Car - Australian driver Norman “Wizard” Smith had won just about every auto race he entered, so he turned his sights to Land Speed Records. His first attempt was in the Rolls-Royce Eagle-powered Anzac in 1930.
Sunbeam 1000 hp Mystery Slug top Sunbeam 1,000 hp Mystery Slug LSR Car - Henry Segrave, Louis Coatalen, and John Irving combined their respective talents to create the Sunbeam 1,000 hp Mystery Slug. On 29 March 1927, the car set a new Land Speed Record at over 200 mph (322 km/h).
Sunbeam Silver Bullet debut Kaye Don Sunbeam Silver Bullet LSR Car - The twin-engine Silver Bullet was Sunbeam’s last attempt at setting a World Land Speed Record. The car was beset with issues, and Kaye Don was only able to achieve 186 mph, far below the 250-mph (400-km/h) goal.