The Double Racer () is a

race car Race, RACE or The Race may refer to: * Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species * Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...

manufactured by the (NW), now Tatra, in 1900. It is sometimes also called ''First Racing'', ''12 HP'', or ''Race Car'' (). It was commissioned by Baron .

Hans Ledwinka Hans Ledwinka (14 February 1878 – 2 March 1967) was an Austrian automobile designer. Youth Ledwinka was born in Klosterneuburg (Lower Austria), near Vienna, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He started his career as a mechanic, a ...

, the man behind the famous rear-engined Tatras, and at the time only 20 years old, helped in the production of the car. The car was designed and built in a five week period in April and May 1900. The Rennzweier was the first car designed specifically for racing to be built in

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. In 1994, a 2 Kč commemorative stamp featuring the Rennzweier, designed by , was issued.

Background

After the production of its first automobile, the Präsident, in 18971898, NW continued producing automobiles that followed the design of the original Präsident.

Design

The construction was unique at the time. The car was very low, especially the driver's seat. There was no bodywork – all mechanical parts were uncovered. Unlike its predecessors, the steering column was slightly tilted. The car had a modified Benz engine. It was a two-cylinder spark ignition engine with a power output of about at . It was transversely mounted above the driven rear axle. The driver was situated on a heightened seat behind the steering wheel, while the passenger seat was much lower on the frame, so the passenger's legs were sticking out under the car. The gas tank had a volume of 42 liters, while there was also another tank behind the driver for 15 liters of coolant. The car was able to reach a maximum speed of . Von Liebieg raced the car in numerous contests. He won the La Turbie race that took place in Nice, and took second position in

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race. He later also took part in the

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-Vienna race. Today the Rennzweier is exhibited at the Czech National Technical Museum. A second racing car was made in 1901. This one also made do without bodywork, and this time featured a ''Hardy'' engine (flat two, 3188cc, 7,4 kW-8,85 kW (10-12HP)) was used instead of the previous Benz one.

References

External links

Magazine articles about the NW Rennzweier
{{Tatra models Cars of the Czech Republic Tatra vehicles Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Rear-engined vehicles 1900s cars Cars introduced in 1900 Sports cars Cars discontinued in 1900