21 July 2016
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Photograph of Louis Rigolly and his car
Louis Rigolly became the first person to drive a car at over 100 miles per hour on 21 July 1904
On this day in history, 1904: Louis Rigolly, a Frenchman, was the first person to drive a car at over 100 miles per hour.
Rigolly set a record of 103.561mph on a beach at Ostend, Belgium, driving a 13.5 litre Gobron-Brillié racing car. He covered a 1 kilometre course in 21.6 seconds. The previous May, Belgian Pierre de Caters reached a speed of 97.25 mph on the same 1 kilometre course.
Pictured: Louis Rigolly and his car.
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