Fritz B Busch Dieselstar Mercedes Ehra-Lessien Record 1975 by Autocult
A successful Diesel
In 1975, a fellow German decided to demonstrate the
capabilities of diesel power in a most unusual manner. Fritz B. Busch was a
52-year-old journalist well known to fellow German auto enthusiasts through his
editorial work published in "Stern" and "Quick" as well as
his performance driving pursuits.
In his workshop in his castle in Wolfegg, he worked
meticulously on his record car and went for the chassis of a Formula 2 race car
as a basis. To improve the performance of the standard 79 hp-strong
five-cylinder engine of the Mercedes W115 240 D 3.0 he installed an AiResearch
turbocharger, a more powerful BOSCH fuel injection pump and adjusted the
displacement to exactly 3 liters according to the regulations. Overall and
after all tuning measures the car had a performance of 187 horsepower. The
five-cylinder engine was fitted into the Formula 2 chassis. Busch created a
wedge-shaped body from aluminum sheet. The bodywork was drawn over the sides
purposely to eliminate any lift that would destabilize the vehicle at speed. He
named his creation ‘Dieselstar’.
For his record attempt he chose the test track of
Volkswagen in Ehra-Lessien, Germany. On November 16, 1975, Fritz Busch climbed
into his wedge-shaped machine and began accelerating for a standstill to top
speed! It required 5.6 seconds to drive from a standstill to 100 km/h, but that
was only a mark on the way to a record! By the end of the run, he achieved a
speed of 253.7 km/h, a speed of 157.64 miles per hour! This top speed enabled
driver and "car" to set a record of 136.1 km/h from a standing start
over a distance of one kilometer ... almost 85 miles per hour. It was a
significant increase over the previous record of 113.4 km/h. Thus, Fritz Busch
was immortalized as a successful class record holder for diesel-powered
vehicles. The VW Test Track posed its own challenges as it was curved track
rather than a long and straight track as usually used for record attempts. He
had to steer the car around the closed course!
Fritz B. Busch died in 2010 at the age of 88.
Description: | Fritz B Busch Dieselstar Mercedes Ehra-Lessien Record 1975 |
Catalogue#: | ATC07021 |
Product Type: | Resincast |
Scale: | 1:43 |
Event: | Speed Record |
Colour: | - |
Drivers: | Busch F B |
Sponsors: | Veedol |
Dates: | 1975 |
Race/Position: | - |
Release Date: | December 2021 |
Weight: | 450 grams |
Comments: | Ehra-Lessien 136.1kmh standing start kilometre diesel record. Museum version. Limited edition of 333 pieces |
About Autocult
A relatively new maker of very well finished resincast models, established in 2015. Very imaginative choice of subjects, often concentrating on the more eccentric episodes in motoring history! Production limited to 333 pieces of each subject, which often means that we get one delivery and that is it, so pre-orders strongly recommended!! Made in China for Germany.