By 1898 the automobile was coming of age. By then the motor car, whether petrol, steam or electric powered had been in existence for a dozen years, and inevitably prodigious claims were made for it’s remarkable velocity by the proud owners of the new locomotion. The fastest motor car in the world could do less than 40mph which seemed a bit tame when compared with a steam train in full cry. The introduction of a motor-car speed hill climb in the Paris area in December 1898 was perhaps the first opportunity for motorists to compare their maximum speeds with each other, and a week later it was announced that a carefully marked out 2 kilometre stretch of smooth level road near St. Germain, north of Paris, would be set apart for speed trials for any entrant with their automobile. Several events over the next month were only able to produce speeds off the order of 40mph, but were the inspiration for building a special vehicle, designed to travel as fast as possible over a short distance, precipitating the birth of the LSR (world land speed record).
1899 La Jamais Contente
The first car so designed was sensational. Camille Jenatzy’s company was currently building electric cars for general use, and he created a new purpose-built special - the first of a long line of fascinating record breaking “freaks” which still continue today. On a chassis with the smallest wheels and fattest tires ever seen at that time, he mounted a cigar-shaped body of aluminum alloy and mounted 2 big electric motors to the rear axle with batteries hidden inside the body. The streamlining effect was somewhat spoiled by the driver sitting well above the body along with all the controls. The car was named “La Jamais Content”, the never satisfied, aptly summing up Jenatzy’s attitude.
On April 28th, Camille Jenatzy drove his “special” over the standing kilometre in 47.8 seconds, and the flying kilometre in 34.0 seconds. The first LSR was taken at 65.79 mph or 105.90 kph.
The original car no longer exists but a reproduction of it is on display in the Musée National de la Voiture et du Tourisme.
The model is scratch-built in 1/16th scale, approximately 8 inches long. The chassis and suspension are made from soldered brass, the wheels fabricated in plastic and the tires from rubber cord, and the body is solid wood, made from laminated poplar.
