1930 Stapp Jupiter land speed record car - photo

[Altair]

1930 Stapp Jupiter land speed record car.




Previously:

1939 Mercedes-Benz T80 land speed record car - photos
Porsche 935 Turbo cycling record car - photo
1952 Buick Super Riviera land speed record car - photo
1917 Golden Submarine racecar - photo
Golden Arrow land speed racer - photo

[mr mikey]

I read it had an estimated 600hp and was expected to hit 300mph but was destroyed in a fire.

[nova_robotics]

expected to hit 300mph but was destroyed in a fire.

That sounds somewhat optimistic.

[Hoosiersmoker]

Number one: Did they have an accurate method to measure speed at the time? And B: Did they do it on a brick street?

Looks like they weren't concerned much about the weight of the vehicle either.

[mr mikey]

René Stapp was a French racing driver. In 1932 he attempted to break the land speed record with one of the most outlandish, and ugliest, cars to attempt to do so.^[1]
The car was built in Paris between 1930 and 1932, then taken to Daytona Beach for an attempt at the land speed record.^[2]
Power was supplied by two Bristol Jupiter radial aero engines.^[1] Some web sources describe the car as Jupiter. Assuming a generous 600 bhp per engine in racing trim, this would have given a power comparable to Malcolm Campbell's cars and so it wasn't an obviously impossible contender. However the general engineering was at the Heath Robinson level and failed to inspire confidence.
The car was destroyed by fire on the beach at La Baule, a popular motor-racing venue of the period.^[3]