1-194-048 - National Motor Museum/Heritage Images

Mercedes-Benz Streamliner car, 1938. On 28th January, 1938, Rudolf Caracciola drove this car at 268.657 mph along the Frankfurt-Darmstadt Autobahn, recapturing the Land Speed Record for Class B cars (with engines smaller than 8000cc) from Mercedes' great rivals Auto Union. It remains the fastest speed ever driven by a car on a normal road. Later the same day, in attempting to regain the record for Auto Union, Bernd Rosemeyer was killed when he crashed and the car disintegrated.