1905 Napier L48
Around 1900, Montague Napier and S. F. Edge teamed up to build an improved derivative of the market-leading Panhard et Levassor. Napier, who was a better engineer than marketer, agreed for S. F. Edge to handle sales of his car. The entire production of his fine range of motor cars was sold through the agency of Edge and it was a huge success. S. F. Edge decided to form a racing team to enhance sales of aNapier cars, and he would be the driver.
Between 1901 and 1903 Napiers were entered in the Gordon-Bennett Cup races with varying degrees of success (see 1902 Napier D50 model). Edge now decided that Napier should attack the Land Speed Record as further suport for his marketing efforts. Arthur Rowledge, a young engineering draftsman was hired and tasked with designing a revolutionary new engine of six cylinders rather than four. It would be 15 litres in capacity and it would be placed in a pressed-steel chassis with an all-up weight of less than a ton, and the engine was surrounded by more than 200 feet of copper cooling pipe. In the hands of S. F. Edge and his cousin Cecil, as well as Britain’s greatest racing drivers of the time such as Arthur Macdonald, Frank Newton, W. T. Clifford-Earp and Dorothy Levitt, the Napier L48 Samson won contests in Britain, Europe and the United States.
The car’s greatest successes were achieved on the Florida beaches. In January, 1905, the Napier broke the flying one-mile world record of 104.65 mph at Ormond Beach, near Daytona Beach, and became the first car to exceed 100 mph in the USA. The Napier team returned to the speed trials in the following year and broke the 100-mile record. In October, 1906, Dorothy Levitt established the women’s world speed record over the flying kilometre by recording a speed of 90.88 mph at the Blackpool Speed Trials. The Napier won many races, hillclimbs and sprints and it was regarded as the fastest motor car made in the United Kingdom over a four-year racing career.
interesting trivia:
The land speed record holder that was, or could have been, or wasn't, depending on your point of view and your nationality. Shortly after the Napier's run of 104.65mph at the Floria Speed Week, Herbert Bowden of Boston achieved 109.75mph at the same event driving a Mercedes twin-engined special, but this was disqualified by the Speed Week authorities for being overweight. Unfortunately the French LSR authorities refused to accept either as an official record beating the previous holder, who was French. This left the Brits believing they held the record, the Americans believing they did, and the French believing they did.
building the model
March 18 / '24
Chassis is finished in brass, now figuring out how to make springs and shackles.
April 27 / '24
Chassis finished, wheels & tyres finished, now working on engine bay and cooling tubes.
June 24 / '24
Everything finished except for the cooling tubes (waiting for material). Final assembly when that's done.