The Fiat Mephistopheles (known in Italian as ''Mefistofele'') is a one-off racing car created by
Ernest A.D. Eldridge in 1923 by combining a
Fiat
Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...
racing car chassis and Fiat aeroplane engine. The name is from the
demon of the same name. The name alluded to the infernal noise emitted from the unmuffled engine, and it was "baptised" by the Frenchmen.
Eldridge broke the
World Land Speed Record on 12 July 1924 with the Mephistopheles,
by driving at in Arpajon,
France. The last car to set a land speed record on a public road.
The Mephistopheles was created by combining the chassis of the 1908
Fiat SB4
Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...
with a 6-cylinder, 21.7 litre (21706 cc)
Fiat A.12
The Fiat A.12 was a six-cylinder liquid-cooled straight engine, in-line engine with a Bore (engine), bore of 160 mm and a Stroke (engine), stroke of 180 mm, giving a Engine displacement, capacity of just under 22 litres, with variants p ...
aeroplane engine producing .
''Mephistopheles'' was restored over 5 years, with another example of the same engine, and returned in 2011 with a display at the
Goodwood Festival of Speed.
References
External links
Fiat.com- Story of the Fiat Mefistofele
{{Fiat
Mefistofele
Racing cars
Wheel-driven land speed record cars
Cars powered by aircraft engines