Benz
200 PS "Blitzen-Benz"

Why it matters

Built to take the world speed record, the 200 hp Benz was the first car with an internal combustion engine to pass 200 km/h, reaching 205.7 km/h over a half mile at Brooklands in November 1909. Its 21.5-litre four-cylinder engine remains the largest-displacement passenger-car engine in the history of Mercedes-Benz and its predecessors. In the United States it became famous as the "Lightning" or "Blitzen" Benz in the hands of Barney Oldfield and Bob Burman.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

Work began at the start of 1909 under works driver Victor Hémery, with designer Louis de Groulart and his assistant Hans Nibel, using the 150 hp Grand Prix car as the base. To gain power the bore was increased to 185 mm on the unchanged 200 mm stroke, giving 21.5 litres. Hémery set records at Brussels and Brooklands in autumn 1909; car no. 1 then went to Barney Oldfield in the USA, who raised the flying-mile record to 211.4 km/h in March 1910, and Bob Burman took it to 228.1 km/h in April 1911. That record was not recognised because of the two-way rule introduced in 1911.

Four cars were built for racing and record work, the second and third in 1910 and 1912 and a fourth in spring 1913, and two more were sold to customers. The first car was cannibalised in 1923 and the third after a crash at Brooklands in 1922. The fourth car, rebuilt in 1934 with a record-style body from parts of the third, has been in the Mercedes-Benz Museum since 1985; the fate of the second car is largely unknown.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The record configuration is recognisable by its very narrow streamlined body: a beak-like water box on a narrow radiator, a pointed tail and panelled front axle and front crossmember. The car has four large exhaust pipes through the bonnet, no silencer, chain drive to the rear wheels and a starting crank at the front. The cars were also run with a wide-radiator Grand Prix body, and the car now in the museum carries a body rebuilt in 1934, so body style alone does not date a car.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   Der "Blitzen Benz" fuhr im Jahr 1909 bereits über 200 km/h Level B Markus Jordan · MBpassion · 2023-12-16

   • Nur sechs „Blitzen-Benz“ entstehen
   • Nur sechs „Blitzen-Benz“ entstehen, vier existieren noch
   • Ketten übertragen die Kraft an die Hinterräder

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   Zwischengas – Blitzen-Benz: over 200 km/h in 1909, the fastest car in the world Level C

   • 6 Blitzen-Benz cars built. As stated: “Only six "Blitzen-Benz" were built, four still exist.”

   Accessed 2026-11-11
3. 3
   Benz 200 hp "Lightning Benz" record car, 1909 – 1913 Level A Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Mercedes-Benz Public Archive (Classic M@RS)

   • cylinders, which were still cast together in pairs
   • four-cylinder engine
   • a displacement of 21.5 litres
   • the bore was increased by around 30 mm to 185 mm
   • retaining the stroke dimension of 200 mm
   • increased compression ratio of 5.8
   • output of 200 hp/147 kW at 1600 rpm
   • 200 hp/147 kW at 1600 rpm

   Accessed 2026-11-12