1938 and 432km/h......eat that Veyron

[CAMS290]

Ok so it is an experimental Benz that still holds the record for the flying kilometer, what makes it all the more impressive is that it was 73 years ago.
Check the specs of this magnificent piece of machinery.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merce...25_Rekordwagen

[OffRoadFalcon]

Its a great car!! And for that age, very impressive... but it isn't really comparable to the Veyron, in that it isnt a production car, and thw 431 km/h record the Veyron holds is an average of several tests, so it may be faster than that Benz anyway, but still, for 73 years ago, as you say, it's extremely impressive. The car had only been around for about 30-40 years (depending on what you'd call a car lol)

[JG34JA]

They were into speed and technology quite heavily in Hitler's Germany.

Going back through history is often fascinating. You discover that people really were at the top of their game way back then, and really pushing the limits of the technology they had. I personally like the fact that today we cannot cut stone to the size and accuracy that the ancient Egyptians or South American cultures could, and that our knowledge of the constellations is only now catching up to theirs. As another example, triple expansion machinery was pushed to the limit of its efficiency at the start of the last century before being replaced with turbines. Then there's Nickola Tesla and his amazing work. Next, the first internal combustion engine was run on hydrogen - carbon free. The ancient Hawaiians made surfboards only now being appreciated as genius in hydrodynamics. My nephew, a mechanic, maintains the best way to dump the maximum amount of fuel into an engine quickly is with a carburettor. Battleships were developed to the level of firing shell the weight of a small car over the horizon that's 40kms or so before being outmoded. And my favourite: humans reached the moon in the 1969 and the 1970's, and have not yet been back.

So yeah, the Mercedes and its 1938 achievement, not surprising and still deeply impressive.

[LOW_NL]

the veyron has nothing on this, considering how far technology has come an still be 1kph slower. aslo yes the veyron is classed as a production car but it isn't truly 1 in the sense that 75% of the car is carbon fibre. so if they had these advantages 73 yrs ago in theory the benz would have been much faster

[phillyc]

An amazing feat to this day.

But people comparing a Veyron to this is not entirely fair on the Veyron despite the 70 years difference. Government regulations, Emissions, Warranty, Reliability, Stability, Safety cells etc.

[CAMS290]

Originally Posted by LOW_NL

the veyron has nothing on this, considering how far technology has come an still be 1kph slower. aslo yes the veyron is classed as a production car but it isn't truly 1 in the sense that 75% of the car is carbon fibre. so if they had these advantages 73 yrs ago in theory the benz would have been much faster

Spot on, and Benz did it with only 5.5 litres.

[pottery beige]

zeee krazy germans..... would have been well offtap seeing and hearing that thing fly past way back then....

[Franco Cozzo]

Except the Veyron can be used as a normal car.

Impressive none the less though.

[OffRoadFalcon]

Originally Posted by phillyc

An amazing feat to this day.

But people comparing a Veyron to this is not entirely fair on the Veyron despite the 70 years difference. Government regulations, Emissions, Warranty, Reliability, Stability, Safety cells etc.

I agree here, there are too many variables and changes to really compare the cars.

[pottery beige]

needs a youtube clip.........

[Bundy]

No comparison, never should be, end of story.

[Bossxr8]

Saw a doco on the silver arrows on Foxtel a few months ago, fascinating stuff. Hitler put up big money for the manufacturers to dominate speed records and racing, and the Auto Union and Mercedes teams went all out to take the crown.

Rosemeyer I think, a cross wind hit at more than 300 kph and flipped it over, no seatbelt and flung from the car. He was still alive when they got to him, but died later on.

Still alive after being throw from the car at over 300kph? Wow.

[gtxb67]

it can be compared with the veyron and also the mclaren f1 in the only way it matters. all 3 cars were awesome machines built to the confines of the days technology and regulations

who cares about which has the ultimate top speed or how quick it gets there. all 3 are icons of the auto industry and all 3 have gone down in history like few (if any) others

[Ford Falcon XR6]

Wow that amazing stuff for the late 1930's