Beschreibung
Chassis number 1 of 1 Engine number L48 Motor
The Edwardian Giant, 1904 Napier L48 ‘Samson’ was one of the most successful racing cars of its era setting many speed records and winning many races. In 1905 at Daytona Beach, Florida, USA it set the World Land Speed Record of 104. 65 mph. It was the world’s first successful six-cylinder engine racing car an important point to note in that it led to the production of six-cylinder engine road going cars. This incredibly important and impressive car has about 74 metres of copper tube wrapped around a copper and aluminium dome. In 1906 it also established a women’s world land speed record when Dorothy Levitt, “the fastest girl on earth” drove it at 90. 88 mph over a flying kilometre at the Blackpool Motor Race Meeting, UK. The record-breaking and revolutionary six-cylinder engine of the Napier L48 was replaced with a larger engine in 1907 (and the tired original chassis then broken up and disposed of in 1908) and the original engine was no longer needed. In 1912, the industrial ceramic manufacturers from Melbourne, Fred and Percy Cornwell, who loved fast cars and boats, took delivery of the engine. It was shoe-horned into a state-of-the-art racing-boat they had commissioned. The lightweight, 15 litre engine powered Nautilus 2 to many race wins including the Motorboat Championship of Australia, the E. C. Griffiths Cup in 1914 and 1915 (reportedly reaching an incredible speed of 137kph). The Napier L48 engine remained in a corner of the Cornwell brothers’ factory until discovered in 1950 by Bob Chamberlain, the wealthy Australian industrialist. Chamberlain purchased the engine, originally with the idea of cleaning it up and displaying it but changed his mind. He resolved to recreate the Napier L48 car around the original engine using the considerable resources of his tractor manufacturing factories. After much forensic work and extensive research and the recreation of many parts to rebuild the car, the restored engine was run for the first time in July 1982. The Napier L48 nicknamed Samson attracted worldwide interest when it was completed. Few recreations of Edwardian racing cars had been made and none of the quality of the Chamberlain car. Accomplished motor sport journalist Bill Boddy wrote in Motor Sport magazine in 1988: “Whether or not you approve of the modern reconstruction of old cars, you must concede that this is the recreation of the decade. Modifications made were in keeping with the ethics of a highly experienced engineer intent on providing a habitat for a decidedly historic engine, and had the task not been undertaken there would now be no 1904 Napier L48.” It was sold in April 1993 as part of Bob Chamberlain’s estate at a Sotheby’s auction in Melbourne to Peter Briggs for display at the York Motor Museum in Western Australia. The car has subsequently raced and won at the Goodwood Festival of Speed hill climb in the UK and was a class winner at the celebrated Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance winning the Automobile Quarterly prize for the most historically significant car at the event. It is exhibited by Mr Briggs at the Sydney Harbour Concours in March 2022 and offered for sale to a new custodian.
