The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-11-10
FIAT BUILT THE
BIGGEST MOTOR
Interesting History of the Car
That Showed Very Great
Speed.
Ian. By renewing the


to which is the biggest and most powerful
motor car ever used successfully on the
road. The record for greatness in this
respect appears to lie with the 800
horse power Fiat built in 1911 and raced
IN 1912 and 1918 This car. which is
now In retirement at the Fiat factory,
has four cylinders of 1s0x25o MN. bore
and stroke. giving a piston displacement
OF 1,7s0 cubic inches.
There Is a general impression that
this huge racing car was run at Brook
lands by the italian crack. Navarro.
Such is not the case. however. Navarro
raced on Brooklynds track with Mephis-
topheles--another huge motor car-in a
very sensational match against Mr..
Edges Napier Samson" when victory
fell to the Fiat Mephistopheles was not
quite so big as the 400 horsepower
racer, its cylindrical dimensions being
lsON1eo NM. or 1.1o7 cubic inches. II
was only little time after this match
that the Fiat company decided to at
tempt TO secure the worlds flying kilo-
meter record. and as Mephistopheses was
then in the hands OF a private owner, Sir
George Abercromby, Bart, the company
designed and built the 500 horsepower
iacer, which has the biggest engine ever
put into a chassis.
Although of such unusual size, the
four cylinders are bloc casting with
enclosed overhead valves. This together
, With the long stroke made a very high
| engine, and although there Is not an inch
~ waste space under the bonnet. It stands
| ) feet inches from the ground. The
| ar has four speeds and chain drive.
When racing the mechanic Is entirely
hidden under the big cowl.
1t had been arranged for Nazarro. then
at the height OF his fame, to drive the
new racer on Brooklands track. and with
this object in view he tested the car sew
eral times on Italian roads However.
a few weeks before the tests in England
Navarro declined TO establish his own
| motor car factory and his connection
with the Fiat racing department was
Severed. The car was turned over to
Bordino. another Italian driver who took
II to Brooklands. where II did not give all
the speed that was expected of II. prir-
cipally owing TO the great difficulty OF
holding such a heavy and powerful car
on the track Later Bordlno raced the
car on Saitburn beach.
The car was returned to the Italian
factory without having broken the COW
eted kilometer record then and still
held. It may be mentioned, by a German
machine. While tho big racer was In
the Fiat shops II attracted the attention
OF Russian prince. who Immediately
purchased II and secured the services
of Arthur Duray In an attempt to cap
ture the hlometer record Duray took
the car to Ostend in November, 1918
and under the control OF the Automobile
Club of France attempted to break the
| record. Electrically timed. he covered
the kllometer on several occasions at ar
average sped OF 143 miles an hour. One
OF the international racing rules st!pu.
lates that flying kilometer records mus,
be run In both directions and the aver.
age taken. the second run to be made
within quarter OF an hour OF the first
As the weather conditions were very
bad at that time OF the year, the road
surface being wet and strong winds pre-.
vaillng. Duray was never able to make
the two trips within the quarter OF ar
hour Consequently he has not officiall,
been credited with the record. although
there is no doubt that he has. attained
the highest speed in the world. The Rus
sian prince never made use OF the car
for he found that II was too fast fol-
Russian roads, and the French authori
ties who examine and approve every new
type of car before allowing It on tn,
roads were of the opinion that the 800
horsepower monster was not safe FOL
French national highways.
1t must not be imagined that tho
building OF such big racing engines 1.
wasted effort. One of the sister engine.
was made use Of in a boat and another
duplicate of the 500 horsepower racer die
good service aboard an airship. The ex.
perience gained In the building Of thes,
as racing engines has proved OF grea
value in alrplane engine design. AT III,
beginning of tho war very few engine,
were made OF more than so horse power
At the present time 900 horsepower II
one unit is considered small, but maker,
without previous experience did not ar.
rive at this size and power without con.
siderable difficulty.
1t Is quite possible that after the wal
many car manufacturers will be tempted
to put their big aviation engines in a
chassis for test purposes and short dis.
tance records. The Fiat company. for
instance, could build another 900 horse
nower racing car with an engine very
much lighter and more efficient than the
one now In retirement. Indeed If the
power could be made use OF to adyan-
tags car of twice this power could b.
put on the road-or on the track--for II
Is douio<pl II any driver would want 10
sit behrnA 700 horsepower monster nm
an ordinary road