In the 1930s, speed record setting was all the rage, various British drivers held the world speed records since the twenties. In 1935, Malcolm Campbell had with his series of Bluebird cars, achieved 301 mph at Bonneville, John Cobb and George Eyston took turns moving that record to 350 mph by 1938.
Against that backdrop, Hitler had decided a German car with a German driver should hold the land speed record and he picked Auto Union race driver Hans Stuck to do the honours. Stuck then contracted Ferdinand Porsche to design and build a suitable car. In March 1937, the car shown here was presented. Designated the T80, it was originally to be powered by a Daimler Benz 34 liter V12 airplane engine giving 2200 horsepower, but with the speed records being raised at Bonneville, that engine was replaced by one of 44.5 liters, also mounted in the inverted orientation.
In the meantime Hitler had decided the record should be set on German soil, and in 1939 a nine mile section of the autobahn was prepared and it was decided that a record setting run would be made in the summer of 1940. However, all the plans came to nothing when Hitler sent troops into Poland in September of 1939. The T80 never ran at all.
Looking at the car, the driver was to sit in a narrow cockpit right in front of the engine. The 27 foot long car was fitted with 2 drive axles for traction, horizontal winglets provided downforce and the bodywork covering the rear wheels blended into tailfins for directional stability. And all that power and weight running on wire-spoked wheels!
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