1899 Le Jamais Contente

1899 Le Jamais Contente The First Land Speed Record Car

Though the first "land speed record" was unknowingly begun by a French magazine with a contest it held in December 1898, it was to be this intense competition between manufacturers for this record that captured the imagination of the public and quickly saw top speeds skyrocket.

1899 Le Jamais Contente

Setting a speed record was an obvious way to get publicity for a brand and prove its capability in a world still coming to grips with the concepts of advertising and promotion, and it was the rivalry between Belgian EV manufacturer Camille Jenatzy and the French Jeantaud EV Company which progressed the first record of 63.13 km/h (39.24 mph) - set in December 1898 by Jeantead - to 105.878 km/h (65.79 mph) - set in April 1899 by Jenatzy - as the rivals battled for supremacy.

1899 Le Jamais Contente

Considering that this time frame of just four months contained six different record setting runs shared three each between the two rivals, it was certainly an intense beginning for the land speed record, and an indication of the passion with which people would pursue the prize to its present day magnitude of more than ten times the initial mark.