Starting the 1909 Blitzen Benz, UNEDITED, Pebble Beach Concours d Elegance

The BlitzenBenz was purpose built to do just one thing, to break speed records (not racing), and it did repeatedly from 1909 through 1911. (Edited version: ) Its speed of on April 23rd, 1911, driven by Bob Burman at Daytona Beach, stood as a record until 1919. Twice the speed of the fastest airplane, (12 April, 1911, Alfred Leblanc in a Blériot Blériot) and even shattering the record speed of 210km, h set by a locomotive in 1903. This record was not even officially broken in an airplane until 1920 Of the six originally built, this is one of only two that exist today, and is displayed at the MercedesBenz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. While the extended and nuanced effort required to start the BlitzenBenz on a cool coastal morning can try the patience of some viewers, its historical significance and groundbreaking engineering brilliance still place it amongst the greatest motorvehicle achievements of all time, and