Le Jamais Contente - the first purpose-built land speed record car

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Jenatzy and his wife, who might possibly also be the world's first brolly dolly

The electric count during the fifth record attempt in the partially streamlined Jeantaud

The tiller steering of La Jamais Contente

Jenatzy and his record breaker - one wonders if they considered lying him down which would have reduced the frontal area and drag coefficient of the vehicle considerably

The rear end of La Jamais Contente

The Electric Count at left in his Jeantaud and Jenatzy at right in the CGA Dogcart

La Jamais Contente

Le Jamais Contente - the first purpose-built land speed record car

Count Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat in the streamlined Jeantaud

Jenatzy in La Jamais Contente

The CGA Dogcart model from model maker Touchwood

The Jeantaud

La Jamais Contente

The Jeantaud of Count Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat as envisaged by model maker Touchwood

Article Summary

Despite the coming of the electric vehicle during the last decade, there were far more electric vehicle manufacturers in the world 100 years ago than there are today. Hundreds of manufacturers, a large proportion of them electric, competed in the fledgling automotive marketplace. This competition drove these manufacturers to seek new and novel ways to seek publicity, and when a French Automobile magazine ran top speed trials in December 1898, it sparked a flurry of record attempts and six land speed records in just four months. The electric Jamais Contente, which was the first purpose-built speed record attempt car, prevailed in this early tussle by raising the land speed record to 105.878 km/h (65.79 mph) in April 1899.

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