12 replies to this topic

[Alvega]

I saw some time ago this designation of a FIAT racing car in the cover of a Kit box.

Was there ever a FIAT racing car with such a designation ?

I've searched trough the internet, including ATLAS F1, but could not find anything.

Anyone as any information on this ?

[fines]

Yes, there was! Fiat S.76/300HP-Record, nicknamed "Mephistopheles", the Italian answer to the "Blitzen-Benz" or "Lightning-Benz", built for record attempts. It had a 4 cylinder SOHC engine of 28,338 cc (!), three plugs per cylinder, magneto ignition, 290 bhp at 1,900 revs, chain drive, wheelbase 275 cm (9 ft), track 130 cm (4.25 ft), weight 1650 kg (3635 lbs). "Monster" would've been more appropriate...

Pietro Bordino drove it at Brooklands, then Arthur Duray at the Oostende beach to 213.023 kph (Dec 8, 1913). No record, because he did no rerun in the opposite direction. I have a picture, maybe I can scan it some day.

Strangely, I have not been able to find the term "Mephistopheles" when doing this bit of research, though it clearly rings in my memory. After all, it could be another car.

[Alvega]

Thank you Fines ! I was beggining to think I just had imagined this...

[Barry Lake]

"Mephistopholes" was not a type name, but the nickname of that particular car - as was the habit at Brooklands in that era.
Mephistopholes had a famous race against the Napier known as "Samson" at Brooklands.

Samson was completely re-constructed in Australia by Bob Chamberlain, finished in the 1980s. Mephistopholes also came here in the late 1920s with the intention of racing at Maroubra, but was found to be too big and fast for that track. It left again without racing here and is now back in the ownership of Fiat.

When I was at the Fiat Centenary celebrations in Turin in July 1999, Mephistopholes was one of the star exhibits.

I have a Brumm model of Mephistopholes.

[Roger Clark]

i don't think the car described by fines is Mephistopholes.

Mephistopheles came to England in 1908 when it took part in the match race described by Barry. It had an 18.155cc engine and was driven by Felice Nazzaro. It was creditted with a lap speed of over 124mph but there was considerable controversy over the accuracy of this. no car achieved over 118mph in a race before 1914. It continued to race at Brooklands until 1923, despite being sold at one stage for £100. In 1923 the engine blew up and the car was sold to Ernest Eldridge. He fitted a 21,714cc FIAT airship engine. In 1924 he set the Land Speed Record at 146.01mph. This was officially recognised.

Bordino drove the car fines describes at Brooklands in 1911. He appears to have driven it after the Whit Monday races, but i don't beleive it ever appeared at Brooklands again.

most of this is from Boddy's "History of Brooklands" and Georgano's "encyclopedia of Motor sport". i am fairly sure that Motor Sport has done an article on Mephitopheles, but it could have been at any time over a forty year period!

[fines]

Thanks, Roger! So that's why I didn't find the name "Mephistopheles", the S.76 was built in 1911! I looked again and found the Fiat S.B.4, 175 bhp at 1,200 revs, 18.1 litre displacement, driven by Nazzaro at Brooklands (Apr 18, 1908) against a Napier to a 195.7 kph (121.6 mph) lap record, which stood until 1922 (Kenelm Lee Guinness in Sunbeam V12). But still no mention of the nickname...

[Roger Clark]

THe FIAT's 121mph lap record (not 124 as I mistyped) was extremely dubious. It was officially recognised as the lap record, amd was by "electric timing", whatever that meant in 1908. However, AV Ebblewhite, the Brooklnads timekeeper and handicapper recorded the lap as 107.98mph, which is muchmore consistent with the FIAT's other laps and its subsequent performances.

The race distance was nine laps, but the Napier retired after two. The electric timing for the FIAT's three laps was: 105.24mph, 121.64, 102.42. The hand timing was 107.76, 107.98, 99.76. You would expect some differences as they were timing at different points on the track, but that second lap of the electric timing seems unlikely.

[fines]

Found a nice story in "Der Motorwagen", issue XXX, 1908. Too long to translate fully, and the writing's so wonderfully oldfashioned, but apparently a female Russian millionaire, owner of a racing team and "a dozen cars", came to Torino to "demand" a joy ride with Felice Nazzaro in the "same car that had won at Brooklands". They set off from Avigliana to Susa, along the valley of Dora Riparia but, according to the article, "no tender conversations seemed to have taken place, since the driver did about 175 kph and would have to preserve his full attention to the machine and the path of the ride". Still, the Russian lady seemed to have been impressed by the "wild ride" and gave the fortunate driver a golden armlet with jewels on it. So much for Mephistopheles' sex appeal...

[Ray Bell]

It was a very tall car, built for the formula in which the bore size was restricted. It had a very long stroke, perhaps the object of the Russian lady's interest, and I think the driver had to look alongside the bonnet rather than over it.

[Leo]

A journalist of the Dutch car magazine "Autovisie" recently drove the car. I will search the article and see if it has anything to ad to the info so far. I just might scan some pictures...

[MattFoster]

Anyone got a pic of the car to post as it would be interesting to see what it looked like

[Alvega]

Found it !

It's in the Brooklands Society site.

Thank you all for the detailed information on this amazing car.

[MattFoster]

WOW!

What a beast of a car. I bet it was an amazing thing to watch and hear on the race track.

Thanks Alvega for the pic