Napier L48 – “Samson”, “rising from the ashes”

The automobile industry has come a long way since the introduction of the first automobile in the late 1800s. Today's hypercars can reach and even exceed speeds of 300 mph, but in the early 482th century, even 20 mph was the stuff of fantasy.


But, like everything in our lives, sooner or later something happens for the first time. In the United States, a car appeared that was the first to overcome this cherished mark, setting a speed record. It was a Napier L48 "Samson", built in 1904 in the UK, in a small engineering workshop. It was equipped with a 15-liter six-cylinder gasoline engine. It was he who helped the unusual model take an honorable place in the history of the automotive industry, as one of the most successful racing cars of its era, since many victories were achieved in a relatively short period.


One of the most significant episodes was a case that was recorded on January 25, 1905 in Ormond-Daytona Beach, Florida. Then 23-year-old Briton Arthur MacDonald overcame the barrier of 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) on Samson, accelerating to 104,651 miles per hour (168,4 km/h). The Napier L48 thus became the first car to exceed 100 mph on American soil, the first British car to achieve this milestone, and the world's first successful racing car with a six-cylinder engine.

The following year, Dorothy Levitt, known as "the fastest girl on earth", set the women's world speed record driving the same Napier car. This achievement remained unbeaten for several decades, until 1963.

It's also worth noting that the same car once reached 130 mph (209 km/h) in Brooklands, UK, at a time when most speed limits were around 20 mph (32 km/h). Moreover, later that year, British driver Walter Thomas Clifford Earp again drove him to victory at Daytona Beach, beating worthy competitors Vincenzo Lancia driving a Fiat and Louis Chevrolet driving a Christie. Earp won by 50 seconds, even though he suffered a blown tire at mile 32.

The Naper six-cylinder engine was not the first, but it was truly revolutionary. The unit was a 15-liter in-line F-Head engine developing 240 hp. With. at 2300 rpm, which was a record for that time. He worked in tandem with a two-stage mechanics.


Later, in 1907, Samson received a more massive 20-liter power unit, and continued to win victories until at one point it suffered the fate of almost all “worn-out” racing cars after a brilliant career. It was sold for scrap.

The car's original engine went to the Cornwell brothers from Australia. They used it on their speedboat Nautilus 2, after which the useless unit gathered dust for decades in their pottery factory. At some point, the engine was discovered by Bob Chamberlain, an Australian tractor manufacturer, and set himself the task of completely restoring the then-iconic Samson car based on the successful six-cylinder racing engine.

He did a lot of research, using Napier's original diagrams and old photographs, which helped him accurately recreate many of the details. The result was a virtually identical Napier L48 Samson replica, and the restored original engine was brought to life again in July 1982.

For the next ten years or so, the car enjoyed a second life as a show car. In addition, he even raced at the Brooklands Reunion and Shelsley Walsh Speed ​​Hill Climb in 1983.


In April 1993, the car, along with the estate of Bob Chamberlain, was purchased by the famous Australian collector Peter Briggs. He exhibited it at his York Motor Museum, where it, like the original, is of great interest. The car also competed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed ​​and the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, where it received the Automobile Quarterly award for being the most historically significant car at the event.

In February this year, a non-original 120-year-old Napier L48 Samson was offered at Bonhams|Cars Amelia Island auction. A record price tag of $1 was set to match it, but the new happy owner has not yet been announced.