Darracq 200 HP V8 Racer History

To pursue the land-speed record, Ribeyrolles mated two of Darracq's inline-four racing engines to a single common crankshaft, creating a 25,422 cc (later corrected from an often-cited 22-litre figure) overhead-valve V8 producing 200 bhp at 1,200 rpm. The car sat in a purpose-built minimal chassis with a bare two-seat body — essentially a self-propelled engine on wheels.

On 30 December 1905 at Arles, France, Victor Hémery covered the flying kilometre in 20.6 seconds (109.65 mph / 176.46 km/h), breaking the existing record by nearly 5 mph. The Darracq became the fastest vehicle on earth, its speed exceeding the fastest express trains of the day. The car also ran at Ormond Beach, Florida in early 1906, recording 122.45 mph (197.06 km/h) in unofficial timed runs, though this did not stand as the recognised absolute record.

The 200 hp Darracq survives today and continues to be demonstrated at historic events including the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Members' Meeting, remaining one of the most significant pre-WWI racing cars in existence. A year earlier, Paul Baras had driven a separate Darracq racer — a 100 hp, 11.259-litre four-cylinder machine — to a record of 104.53 mph (168.22 km/h) at Ostend, Belgium on 13 November 1904.