112 years ago, in 1914, German vehicle manufacturer Opel unleashed a "Green Monster", the most formidable vehicle in the company's history.
Opel are a German vehicle manufacturer, founded in 1862, who are starting to make inroads in New Zealand under their own name. You may not have heard of them, however, you're likely to already know some of their vehicles. Vehicles such as the Astra and Commodore were either simple rebadges of Opel vehicles, or local adaptions based on Opel platforms, coming under a more local General Motors company name, Holden.
The 1914 Opel "Green Monster" is a truly historic racing car, crafted by Opel. It boasts a whopping 12.3-litre engine that could churn out 260 horsepower, making it a force to be reckoned with in the beach races and speed trials of the early 1900s. I say "boasts" because 112 years later it is still running.
Here are the specs for the "Green Monster":
Engine: 12.3-litre, four-cylinder engine.
Horsepower: 260 hp
Top Speed: 230 km/h (about 143 mph).
The vehicle got its "monster" nickname because of it's size and how scary it looked. Back in the 1920s, it really showed off its skills in big sand and beach races on places like Fanø and Rømø. It was super advanced for its day and even beat the speeds of drivers like Malcolm Campbell who were later record-holders.
We've come a long way since then, and we no longer need 12 litre engines to get that amount of speed. Compare the specs above to the Suzuki Escudo Pikes Peak Special, another car built for racing in sandy conditions:
Engine: Mid-mounted 2.5-litre twin-turbo V6 engine
Horsepower: 981+ hp
Top Speed: 305 km/h (190 mph)
