The Napier-Railton, a 1933 British land speed record car, featured a 24-liter aircraft engine so massive that the driver sat directly on top of the crankcase with virtually no firewall protection, meaning if the engine overheated or caught fire, the driver would literally be the first thing to experience the consequences—a design choice that reveals how little safety margin early speed-record attempts actually tolerated.
Car Fact #53 — August 8, 2026
