The Napier L48 Samson racecar built in year 1904 with a humongous 15-liter engine under the hood will cross the auction block on February 29, 2024. With multiple speed records to its name, it’s expected to fetch between $900,000 and $1,100,000.
The car was made in the UK 120 years ago. In 1905, it set a world record in Florida, USA, when Arthur McDonald took it to a top speed of 104.65 miles per hour (168.38 km/h). It was the first land vehicle in the States to reach that acceleration and also the first British car to surpass 100 mph.
In 1906, Dorothy Levitt set a worldwide speed record for female drivers by taking the car to 90.88 mph (146.3 km/h). After 67 years of standing still, the 15-liter engine was fired up again in 1982 and proceeded to set several more records. It is widely considered the world’s first successful implementation of an inline six-cylinder design.
Back when it was new, the power unit churned out 240 PS (237 hp / 177 kW) at 2,300 RPM. A two-speed manual transmission carried the torque to the wheels. Later on, the Napier L48 Samson had been swapped to a larger 20-liter engine, then swapped back.
On a side note, the ‘Samson’ prefix refers to the copper cooling tubes encircling the engine bay, which the original designer of the car likened to the hair locks of the Biblical character by the same name.