Fred Marriott broke the land speed record on this day in 1906, reaching 127.66mph in his steam-powered 'Stanley Steamer'. Leigh Dorrington relates the story behind the unlikely bid and attempts to repeat 100 years later
Bonneville and the Black Rock Desert; before Daytona Beach or Pendine Sands in Wales, the Land Speed Record belonged to an exclusive turn-of-the-century holiday resort— Ormond Beach, Florida. Ormond Beach is located on a barrier island separating the Halifax River from the Atlantic Ocean north of Daytona Beach. The grand Ormond Hotel opened in 1888 and, by the beginning of the 20th century, Ormond Beach was a popular winter resort for some of the wealthiest and most powerful families in America. The wide and hard-packed sands stretched 27 miles south from Ormond to the Ponce Inlet below Daytona Beach. Just a half-mile from the hotel, the sands made for a natural racetrack.
There were no paved roads: visitors to Ormond travelled on a railroad, built by Henry Flagler, that ran from St Augustine to the Florida Keys and made possible the development of Florida's east coast. Along with trunks and household staff, winter visitors also brought amusements to fill the balmy, breezy Florida days. One of these was the automobile...
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