Mossgreen, Australia\u2019s leading independent auction house, is selling a number of unusual cars on November 27 in Melbourne, including the land speed record holder at 500cc. The Julien and Boyer land speed record car was purpose-built to challenge the 500cc one-hour record of 189.5kph (118mph average) set by Englishman John K. Brisse in 1953. This achievement remained unbeaten until 1997, when Henri Julien and Bernard Boyer built a car capable of exceeding Brisse\u2019s 1953 average speed record.<\/p>\n
The aerodynamic French Blue streamliner did the trick, setting a new world record for the class with an average speed of 222.5kph (138.26mph) at the CERAM track in Mortefontaine, situated 40 kilometers from Paris on September 3, 1997, breaking the record Brisse had held for an astonishing 44 years. The record set in 1997 by Julien and Boyer stands today and accordingly is still recognized and listed in the Guinness Book of Records.<\/p>\n
With the co-operation of Honda France, Michelin and others, the concept and design of the Julien and Boyer streamliner was developed in early 1996, and began testing in 1997. The lightweight body, built with carbon fiber and epoxy resin, weighed only 290 kilograms. The chain-driven 499cc Honda V-twin engine was married to a six-speed manual gearbox and fitted to a lightweight tubular steel chassis with four-wheel independent coilover suspension and dual circuit twin-disc brakes. The interior was simply a plastic bucket seat, a wooden steering wheel and two essential gauges-one for temperature and the other for engine revolutions per minute<\/p>\n