EARLY LAND SPEED RECORDS FOR AUTOMOBILES

Today after walking the dogs by the Etang du Corra in the Foret de Saint Germain en Laye, we attempted to find the location where Jenatzy set the first flying kilometre in an automobile at over 100kph in April 1899.  I was not sure if it was marked at all but I was looking for a long straight piece of road near Acheres.   To my surprise we found it very quickly and  there had been three memorials to this achievement erected there to mark the 100th anniversary and so we were certain that we were in the correct spot.  If you want to go and find this spot head up the N184 and then turn first right after the Etang du Corra car park onto the D31 Route Centrale / Route de Conflans just south of the River Seine.  You will be heading for a travellers site and a water treatment plant!

The first marker for where the run started

The rear of the first marker

The road at the start of the run, flat and straight but nowadays with a speed limit unfortunately!

The Compte de Chasseloup-Laubat established a record for the one-way kilometre on the 18th December 1898, also in this spot near Acheres.  Driving a modified Fulmen battery electric Jeantaud touring car, he drove at  63.15kph (39.24 mph).   Jenatzy was inspired to beat this and took along to Acheres an electric car that he had built and achieved 41.42mph on Jan17th 1899.  On the same day, Gaston de Chanteloup-Laubat took back his record at a speed of 43.69mph.  Thus started a real battle for the land speed record for automobiles. It, perhaps, should be mentioned that trains could go faster at this time but I wouldn't want to belittle these two gent's achievements.

Ten days later on January 27th 1899 Jenatzy took back the record with a pass at 49.92mph only for Count Gaston to retake the record again with a jump to 57.60 mph on 4th March 1899.  All of these records took place along this strip of road near Acheres.

This inspired Jenatzy to build his very streamlined cigar shaped La Jamais Contente.  Powered by 2 electric motors that were geared direct to the rear wheels it ran on pneumatic Michelin tyres and was steered by a tiller.

La Jamais Contente 1899 Electric Car

If you wish to see this car, I believe it is in the Musee Nationale de la Voiture et du Tourisme in Compeigne just to the north of Paris.

Jane standing by the second memorial stone and old house at the mid-point of the run.

The mid way memorial commemorating the Fulmen batteries used.

So who was Camille Jenatzy?   He was a red headed and bearded Belgian, born in 1868, who initially trained as a civil engineer but set up a business in Paris manufacturing electric cars, cabs and delivery vans.  He used racing and land speed record attempts as publicity for his business.  Later in his career he drove other manufacturer's cars and scored a significant victory for Mercedes in the 1903 Gordon Bennet Cup over 328 kms in Athy, Ireland. He took over his father's Belgian tyre manufacturing business in later life.

A portrait of Camille Jenatzy.

The final memorial stone at the end of the run

So on April 29th 1899 Camille Jenatzy in his CITA No25 electric car named La Jamais Contente raised the World Land Speed record for Automobiles to 65.79 mph or 105.882kph.  This was the first time anyone had driven on the road at over 100kph.

The rear of the final memorial erected in 1999 and commorating the 100th anniversary

Looking back down the course that now includes a roundabout!

There were I believe a number of other record attempts at Acheres but it was the first run at over 100kph that was the landmark and deserves to be commemorated.  I believe Count Gaston gave up further attempts after this marvellous performance by Jenatzy.   It is worth remembering that up to and including this run all of the Land Speed Record cars were electric battery powered.

The record stood for nearly three years and then Leon Serpollet took his short chassis Gardner-Serpollet steam car called L'Oeuf de Paques down to Nice and raised the record to 75.06mph on 13th April 1902.  Apparently he took over a kilometre to bring the car to a stop after hitting this speed!    Leon Serpollet's early successes with steam cars, often referred to as phaeton at the time, are commemorated by a statue in Paris near the Porte Maillot.

Where to find the statue of Leon Serpollet

The statue of Leon Serpollet and his steam car

A rather strange statue to this automobile pioneer!

These early motoring heroes achieved much public adoration.

Leon Serpollets's record stood for less than a year and then internal combustion engined cars took over the record for a while.

Leon Serpollet, as well as being a holder of the Land Speed record, is remembered as the inventor of the flash boiler that made steam power suitable for automobile use. He built both steam cars and steam trams.  As a racing driver he won the Coupe de Caters Quatre Chemins in 1902 and the Course de Cote du Val Suzon in 1904.  Born in 1858 in France he had his factory in the Rue des Cloys in the 18th arrondissement.  Nowadays, there is a park there named after him.

Neither, Jenatzy nor Serpollet lived long lives.  Leon Serpollet died from Tuberculosis in 1907 aged 48.   Camille Jenatzy met a stranger death.  In December 1913 he was hunting with friends when he decided to play a practical joke on them; he went behind a bush and made animal noises.  Unfortunately, they thought he was a wild boar and shot him and he died soon after, aged 45.

The author of this blog and the Jenatzy LSR memorial

Thanks to those who fought for and sponsored these important memorials to the LSR pioneers.

Tags:  Where exactly did Camille Jenatzy set his land speed record near Acheres?