London 2024
Three Race Cards from Brooklands, 1908
The Age of Endeavour Collection
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£400 - £600 GBP | Offered Without Reserve
| London, United Kingdom
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20 × 13 cm each
On 8 June 1908, an extraordinary and historic £500 wager ensued (circa £75,000 today) between rivals S.F. Edge and D’Arcy Baker for Napier “Samson” against Fiat “Mephistopheles”. The Napier raced ahead but inexplicably broke down on lap three while the Fiat then recorded an average speed in excess of 120 mph. The debate about the accuracy of this remains unresolved. D’Arcy Baker won the wager and Edge wrote indignant letters to BARC, the RAC, and the press thereafter.
