- 3,948
- Sturgis, MI
- GTP_ty00123
The Napier Mobil Special
In 1938, this was the fastest car in the world, capable of 353 miles per hour. They kept improving it and breaking their previous records, and in 1947 it became the first car with proper driven wheels to break the 400 mph mark. This record remained unbroken until 1964. For 17 years, the only way to go faster on land was to use a rocket or a jet engine. Sure the speed is amazing, but the thing that makes this car so cool is the source of the power. It has not one but TWO 24 liter, W12 (not the VW kind of W, but the kind that has three banks of four), DOHC, 48 valve, supercharged Napier Lion aero engines, that had been built to withstand the strains of running at double the RPM than it would ever do in a plane (3600 doesn't seem like a lot, but keep in mind each cylinder, CYLINDER, displaces 2 liters, and that the engine is roughly the size of a refrigerator) that produced 1350 horsepower, each. The car was also just shy of 29 feet long and weighed almost 3 tons.
In 1938, this was the fastest car in the world, capable of 353 miles per hour. They kept improving it and breaking their previous records, and in 1947 it became the first car with proper driven wheels to break the 400 mph mark. This record remained unbroken until 1964. For 17 years, the only way to go faster on land was to use a rocket or a jet engine. Sure the speed is amazing, but the thing that makes this car so cool is the source of the power. It has not one but TWO 24 liter, W12 (not the VW kind of W, but the kind that has three banks of four), DOHC, 48 valve, supercharged Napier Lion aero engines, that had been built to withstand the strains of running at double the RPM than it would ever do in a plane (3600 doesn't seem like a lot, but keep in mind each cylinder, CYLINDER, displaces 2 liters, and that the engine is roughly the size of a refrigerator) that produced 1350 horsepower, each. The car was also just shy of 29 feet long and weighed almost 3 tons.
