The Lightning Benz

Barney Oldfield in his "Lightning Benz" (aka Blitzen Benz) in 1910. Oldfield took the car on a tour of race tracks across the country after destroying all records for the flying mile on the hard packed sands of Ormond-Daytona Beach in March 1910. In that run, Oldfield recorded a speed of 131.7 MPH - faster than any train, plane, car or animal had traveled up to that time. With the exception, perhaps, of a motorcycle in the hands of Glenn Curtiss. This is something I am unclear on because Curtiss reportedly rode his motorcycle to a speed of 136.360 MPH at Ormond in 1907. I would like to see the speed of the motorcylce run investigated and confirmed.

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