RE: My Dream Drive: The fastest road in the world
Discussion
edwardn said:
“Once again, the road ahead contracted into a narrow white band and bridges across the motorway into small black holes. I had to steer with maximum precision at the speed I was driving, but before my brains realized what to do, the car had already raced past.”
Rudolf Caracciola
"at about 240 mph the joints in the concrete road surface are felt like blows, setting up a corresponding resonance through the car, but this disappears at a greater speed. Passing under bridges the driver receives a terrific blow to the chest, because the car is pushing air aside, which is trapped by the bridge. When you go under a bridge, for a split second the engine noise completely disappears and then returns like a thunderclap when you are through."
Bernd Rosemeyer, who was killed crashing his Auto Union at well over 250 m.p.h. the same day, trying to beat Caracciola's speed record.
Awesome men, awesome machines.
Great post - thanks for sharing - really brings it alive. Rudolf Caracciola
"at about 240 mph the joints in the concrete road surface are felt like blows, setting up a corresponding resonance through the car, but this disappears at a greater speed. Passing under bridges the driver receives a terrific blow to the chest, because the car is pushing air aside, which is trapped by the bridge. When you go under a bridge, for a split second the engine noise completely disappears and then returns like a thunderclap when you are through."
Bernd Rosemeyer, who was killed crashing his Auto Union at well over 250 m.p.h. the same day, trying to beat Caracciola's speed record.
Awesome men, awesome machines.
Did everyone else imagine the whoomph of going under a bridge at that speed in an open top car - amazing
edwardn said:
“Once again, the road ahead contracted into a narrow white band and bridges across the motorway into small black holes. I had to steer with maximum precision at the speed I was driving, but before my brains realized what to do, the car had already raced past.”
Rudolf Caracciola
"at about 240 mph the joints in the concrete road surface are felt like blows, setting up a corresponding resonance through the car, but this disappears at a greater speed. Passing under bridges the driver receives a terrific blow to the chest, because the car is pushing air aside, which is trapped by the bridge. When you go under a bridge, for a split second the engine noise completely disappears and then returns like a thunderclap when you are through."
Bernd Rosemeyer, who was killed crashing his Auto Union at well over 250 m.p.h. the same day, trying to beat Caracciola's speed record.
Awesome men, awesome machines.
Wow. I got spine chills reading this. Rudolf Caracciola
"at about 240 mph the joints in the concrete road surface are felt like blows, setting up a corresponding resonance through the car, but this disappears at a greater speed. Passing under bridges the driver receives a terrific blow to the chest, because the car is pushing air aside, which is trapped by the bridge. When you go under a bridge, for a split second the engine noise completely disappears and then returns like a thunderclap when you are through."
Bernd Rosemeyer, who was killed crashing his Auto Union at well over 250 m.p.h. the same day, trying to beat Caracciola's speed record.
Awesome men, awesome machines.
Edited by edwardn on Friday 13th September 02:46
Edited by edwardn on Friday 13th September 02:46
Erm, pedants' corner here. It wasn't an open - topped car. Indeed, neither the Mercedes nor the Auto-Union were open cockpit. Both vehicles had a streamlined cockpit cover, something like the perspex canopy on a fighter aeroplane, to fit closely over the drivers' head.
You'd need that going at those speeds, or you would lose control simply from the wind buffeting at 250 MPH plus..
You'd need that going at those speeds, or you would lose control simply from the wind buffeting at 250 MPH plus..
Photographs I've seen of the Auto Union clearly show an open-top perspex screen. Here's one of the Mercedes - very close fitting and having to be opened to allow access, but open all the same. Rather like the earlier Schneider Trophy planes. 
Edited by CanAm on Friday 13th September 20:30
Drove along this bit this August. Fastest stretch so far in my travels around the Autobahn. You can really cover distance on roads like that. Family always observe the tedious pace in Belgium as we head home after using 'proper' roads.
It was busy but traffic separates well in Germany and its all moving fast so 120 mph can be safely maintained with bursts to around 140
It was busy but traffic separates well in Germany and its all moving fast so 120 mph can be safely maintained with bursts to around 140
edwardn said:
Apparently a 5577 c.c., twin supercharged, 48 valve V12 producing 725 hp. The cylinder heads were welded on. Boost pressure was around 19 p.s.i. The radiator was set inside a 500 litre tank of ice and water to minimize air inlets and drag, the only air inlets needed being for the carburetors, cooling by means of ice was perfectly adequate for the relatively short record runs. Drag coefficient was 0.157. Its dry weight was 1185 kg. It had 612 hp. per tonne.
“Once again, the road ahead contracted into a narrow white band and bridges across the motorway into small black holes. I had to steer with maximum precision at the speed I was driving, but before my brains realized what to do, the car had already raced past.”
Rudolf Caracciola
"at about 240 mph the joints in the concrete road surface are felt like blows, setting up a corresponding resonance through the car, but this disappears at a greater speed. Passing under bridges the driver receives a terrific blow to the chest, because the car is pushing air aside, which is trapped by the bridge. When you go under a bridge, for a split second the engine noise completely disappears and then returns like a thunderclap when you are through."
Bernd Rosemeyer, who was killed crashing his Auto Union at well over 250 m.p.h. the same day, trying to beat Caracciola's speed record.
Awesome men, awesome machines.
I love that people who do things like this existed. “Once again, the road ahead contracted into a narrow white band and bridges across the motorway into small black holes. I had to steer with maximum precision at the speed I was driving, but before my brains realized what to do, the car had already raced past.”
Rudolf Caracciola
"at about 240 mph the joints in the concrete road surface are felt like blows, setting up a corresponding resonance through the car, but this disappears at a greater speed. Passing under bridges the driver receives a terrific blow to the chest, because the car is pushing air aside, which is trapped by the bridge. When you go under a bridge, for a split second the engine noise completely disappears and then returns like a thunderclap when you are through."
Bernd Rosemeyer, who was killed crashing his Auto Union at well over 250 m.p.h. the same day, trying to beat Caracciola's speed record.
Awesome men, awesome machines.
I'm glad you mentioned the Rosemeyer memorial, now I know to stop next time i'm doing a Stuttgart -London trip. He was in the Porsche, wasn't he?
Setting up the artificial 1930s Merc- AutoUnion/Porsche duel by splitting the 500 million RM racing fund was a great way to push development,
When they raced at Donnington they must have looked like space ships to the Brits used to ERAs etc.
Setting up the artificial 1930s Merc- AutoUnion/Porsche duel by splitting the 500 million RM racing fund was a great way to push development,
When they raced at Donnington they must have looked like space ships to the Brits used to ERAs etc.
Anyone interested in this period of racing must read the Bernd Rosemeyer biography,by Chris Nixon. Not sure if its in print now,but worth looking up secondhand.
It's a great read,this guy became a real hero of mine, he was the Gilles Villeneuve of his day, he lived life to the max.
As mentioned,Bernd's wife was the pilot Elly Beinhorn,they were the David and Victoria Beckham of their day,ie Very Famous!
Below is a pic of Bernd in his auto union type c at donnington. V16 with 550 hp.
It's a great read,this guy became a real hero of mine, he was the Gilles Villeneuve of his day, he lived life to the max.
As mentioned,Bernd's wife was the pilot Elly Beinhorn,they were the David and Victoria Beckham of their day,ie Very Famous!
Below is a pic of Bernd in his auto union type c at donnington. V16 with 550 hp.
I live in Darmstadt, and drive on this bit of road all the time. Normally pretty busy, and right now there are roadworks right in the middle of the fast bit, with an 80km/h speed limit, but at the right time you can max anything out there, although I haven't managed over 140mph thanks to having a fairly slow car...
Also, Sensheim doesn't have a space shuttle, it has a Buran, the russian equivalent of the shuttle
but it and SPeyer are well worth a visit, great museums.
Also, Sensheim doesn't have a space shuttle, it has a Buran, the russian equivalent of the shuttle
but it and SPeyer are well worth a visit, great museums.Sunday mornings? Yes but before 6am or they get busy pretty quickly.
I hit 188MPH/303KMH a few weeks ago on the A61 heading from NL towards Dusseldorf. I was going for a three figure speed beginning with a 2, but (light) traffic put paid to that!
Also the Autobahn between Cologne and the 'Ring has some good derestricted sections too.
I hit 188MPH/303KMH a few weeks ago on the A61 heading from NL towards Dusseldorf. I was going for a three figure speed beginning with a 2, but (light) traffic put paid to that!
Also the Autobahn between Cologne and the 'Ring has some good derestricted sections too.
Martian O said:
Sunday mornings? Yes but before 6am or they get busy pretty quickly.
Now all the holidays are over, Sunday mornings (anytime before 10am generally) allows a good crack at Vmax.Those 80kph roadworks heading to Frankfurt are a bugger but there is plenty of room the other side of them............
mrpenks said:
Back in 1997 a bloke in the village pub was adamant he almost touched 200mph in Wales on the M4. The car? A Nova 1.4sri...
I sent your quote via email to a friend as it seemed very familiar : he sent me this back :His email "Haha...I probably know him. I remember being taken for a drive in some guy's red nova and we did 0-60-0 on a stretch of dual carriageway outside Monmouth. He said it did 0-60-0 in less than 7 seconds!! This would have been in about 1997!!"
Small world possibly, unless there were several deluded Nova owners in the area at the time!
CanAm said:
A much better drive off the A5, NW of Frankfurt outside Oberursel is the road to the top of the Grosser Feldberg. About 12km long, it used to be a round of the European Mountain Hillclimb Championship.
and is full of cyclists in the summer as well as lots of slow moving traffic. It's a lovely piece of road when you have a clear run and is great for spotting some very nice cars.The same thing can probably be said in the case of most of the remaining unlimited stretches of autobahn which after a recent run to the Grossglockner classic hill climb event in Austria seem to me to be as good fun as ever even with the drawbacks of the roadworks situation and some traffic in places factored in.The only problem being the crippling price of petrol going through Germany (1.75 euros/litre) with a car that won't do any more than 15 mpg average at best and,with a few exceptions,the unbelievable levels of traffic and speed enforcement on rural Austrian roads.
Edited by XJ Flyer on Tuesday 17th September 14:51
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